


Royal Favor

by queenpierrot



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Dubious Consent, Inspired by Twitter, M/M, Minor Character Death, Someone Help Will Graham, Terminal Illnesses, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:08:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 26,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26607229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenpierrot/pseuds/queenpierrot
Summary: It was the night before the princesses' fourteenth birthday when everything changed.OrHow Will Graham ended up the prince consort.
Relationships: Alana Bloom & Hannibal Lecter, Alana Bloom/Margot Verger, Matthew Brown/Will Graham, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 62
Kudos: 134





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before we get started, there are three things to clear the air in this particular AU: We're ignoring that Italy doesn't have a consistent history of monarchs, we're ignoring that none of them have italian names, and we're ignoring that homosexuality was and often is still a huge no-no.
> 
> With that being said, enjoy!

It was the night before the princesses' fourteenth birthday when everything changed.

"You can still turn back now, Hannibal." Jack said to him as he handed Hannibal the document.

In pristine caligraphy, the document was going to change the laws of succession, allowing a female heir to take the throne in absence of a male. It had taken months of lobbying with his advisors to get them to agree, and weeks to get documents drawn up. He reviewed the wording with careful eyes, looking for any loopholes or double-meaning phrases.

Before that night, Italy's future had been reliant on marriage or indirect lineage, neither of which Hannibal was fond of. Knowing that at any moment, his beloved daughter could be sold off to the highest bidder like some prized livestock made him cringe. She was too intelligent, too clever for that. She deserved to rule one day, he would have nothing less.

Finding nothing of negative consequence in the document, the corners of Hannibal's lips turned into a slight smile. In his perfect penminship he signed into law his vision of the future. He watched as his advisors signed as witness to the document, before handing it back to Jack.

"Thank you, Jack." Jack nods his head, taking his leave. Hannibal looks to his advisors, "That will be all for tonight." He says, dismissing them. They nod their heads and take their leave as well.

Pleased, Hannibal makes his way out of the room and down the winding corridors to his bedroom, where Alana is already in bed reading by candle light. She looks over to him, seeing the upturn of his lips and closes her book.

"Is it done, then?" She asks, her face both hopeful and concerned. Hannibal nods as he goes over to his ornate dresser, stripping and changing into sleepwear.

"It is done. Now Abigail is free to be her own person, take on the throne when I am gone."

Alana nods, the concern now outweighing the hope on her face. "She'll need more education now, not just in being a lady but in being an heir. She'll have a weight on her shoulders like she hadn't before."

Hannibal sighed as he pulled back the thick blankets and got into the bed, "Abigail is a bright girl, Alana. Much brighter than you give her credit for. I have faith that she will rise to the occasion, and become that which our country needs."

Alana looked to him for a moment before nodding, "Tell her tomorrow. I will find her another tutor in the fields she lacks." She leans over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back and blowing out her candle and settling in bed, the brief kiss one of the few moments of physical intimacy they shared in the past few years. Hannibal didn't mind though, turning to settle in bed himself.

The next morning, Hannibal woke before Alana like he always did and got dressed, the small smile on his face returning again as he left the room.

It was a big day, after all. Not only was his darling daughter now fourteen, but she was now the immediate heir to his throne. The later knowledge fluttered in his chest like a bird as he made his way down the corridors to her room. Servants bowed their heads as he passed, but he paid them no mind.

Abagail was sitting at her vanity brushing her hair when she heard the knock at the door. "Come in!"

Hannibal stepped inside with a smile, "Always up so early, little one, not even sleeping in on your special day?" He made his way over and hugged her shoulders lightly.

Abigail rolled her eyes with a smile at the pet name, "Dad, I'm fourteen now, I'm not little anymore."

"No, you're not. But do you know what you are now, little one?" He said, making eye contact in her mirror with a smile before Abigail looked up to him.

"Old enough to marry...?" She said nervously, her face grim, clear she was dreading the day.

Hannibal looked down to her and shook his head, kissing her forehead. "My heir."

With that Abigail's face fell blank with surprise, her mouth dropping open. "I'm-- What?"

Hannibal pulled back and put both hands on her shoulders, smiling in pride. "The document was signed into law last night before bed. No one will ever take away what should have always been rightfully yours, little one."

Abigail's eyes widened before she stood and hugged him tightly, "Thank you father!"

Hannibal smiled and pet her hair, "Your mother will be finding you another tutor soon. Maybe more than one. You will have to be versed in history, geography, government, philosophy... You have a lot of catching up to do, little one."

Abigail nodded as she pulled away, brushing tears from her eyes. "Of course. I will do my best. I'll make you proud."

Hannibal smiled and squeezed her shoulders, "You already do, little one." With that, he turned and left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Alana walked down the halls quietly followed by her loyal lady in waiting, Margot. She sighs as she enters the study, knowing that today she'll have to write out several letters.

"What's troubling you, my queen?" Margot asks curiously as Alana sits behind her desk, going over to the bookshelf to select one before taking a seat on the fainting couch and relaxing against it and opening the book.

"Hannibal has finally named Abigail as his heir," Alana starts as she takes paper out from the desk, "He changed the laws of succession last night to allow a female heir to the throne... Now she will have more pressures on her than ever before."

Margot closes the book, pursing her lips for a moment, "Abagail is bright for her age, and if anything she's brighter than any boorish young man that would try to marry her."

Alana chuckles, starting to pen out the first of many letters to potential tutors. "You do have a point there, the only person who can best her at chess is her father after all."

Margot smiles and opens her book again, starting to read, "So you'll be doing interviews with new tutors soon, I expect?"

Alana nods, finishing one letter only to start another. "Frederika has covered needlepoint, singing, etiquette, and dancing for many years now, while Beverly covers Latin, French, English, and Greek... But now we need someone to cover history, government, geography, philosophy... While I would prefer another female tutor for my daughter, I doubt that I will find such a tutor in these fields."

Margot looks up to her with a pitying glance, understanding her queen's desire to keep her daughter safe from wandering hands. "I'm sure a trustworthy tutor will be found, my queen, have faith."

Alana sighs and keeps writing, letter after letter, until twenty identical copies were finished. "That should be a start, I think." Alana neatly folds each one individually and places it into an envelope, before lighting the candle beside her. She tilts the candle so a few drops of wax drip on the lip of the envelope, before pressing the seal with the Lector crest, sealing the envelope shut. Repeating this for each of the twenty envelopes before taking out a bit of twine and stacking the envelopes neatly on the twine, tieing them together with a bow. "There."

Margot looks up from her book, curious, "Will you be giving the letters to Jack to give out?"

Alana nods, blowing out the candle and putting the stationary away. "Yes. I trust as the head advisor to the king that he will be able to find twenty of the brightest minds, and give them my letter."

"How long do they have to prepare before they come to be scrutinized?" Margot asks playfully

"One week from todays' dated letter. Jack will have three days to find them, so some of them may only have four days, I suppose." Alana says idly.

Margot nods, going back to her book, "A trial by fire is the best way to be prepared."

Alana sighs and stands, going over to her lady in waiting and kneeling in front of her, her elegant gown creasing like her brow as she cupped Margot's face in her hands, her voice quiet, "The only fire I'm concerned with is yours, my love."

Margot's eyes soften and she leans in and kisses Alana's lips softly, before drawing back, "My fire will always burn for you, my queen."

Alana sighs softly and nods, "Good, let's go find Jack then." She stands, smoothing the crease in her dress.

Margot stands as well, putting the book back on the shelf. Alana goes back to the desk to get the letters, then leaves the room with Margot in towe. They make their way down the corridors to the great hall, where Jack is playing chess against Abigail.

"You know, you could let him win, just this once." Alana calls, playfully as she draws near.

"I haven't lost this game just yet, my queen." Jack says lightheartedly, moving a piece across the board.

Abigail smiles and moves a piece as well, "Checkmate, Jack"

Jack immediately frowns, rubbing his mouth, "Now hold on..."

Alana chuckles, "Jack, I need you to take these letters to twenty of the brightest minds you can find. You have three days. The letters will tell them to be here at the castle seven days from now, to be vetted for Abigail's new tutor. Its of utmost importance." She holds out the letter stack.

Jack sighs and nods, taking the letters and standing, "I will take great care, my queen." Looking down to Abigail with a smile, "Nothing but the best for the princess. I'll win next time."

Abigail laughs and smiles, nodding, "We'll see, Jack."

With that, he turns and leaves, cape billowing after him.

Alana looks down to Abigail and smiles, before turning and leaving.

A week later, Alana sits in her ornate chair besides Hannibal's throne in the great hall from sunrise to sunset, Abigail sitting in her own equally ornate chair on the other side. Hannibal was off on a hunt, trusting Alana's judgement along side Jack's selective nature.

One by one, each candidate failed to impress. They either knew too little, spoke too boastfully, or had too hungry of eyes when they looked at Abigail. Alana sighed in frustration before the last one finally came into the room.

The man, looking maybe thirty five, went down on one knee with his head dipped. He had chestnut brown curly hair and long eyelashes, a short trimmed beard, and was dressed modestly-- unlike many of his competitors, who looked like they wore their best clothes, this man had simply a flowing white shirt with a black waist coat, black pants, black leather boots. No embellishments, no cape, no jewelry except a simple silver band on his left hand ring finger. Alana raised a brow but smiled.

"Stand, please. What is your name?"

"Will Graham, your highness," he said as he stood, blue eyes looking to her briefly before looking to Abigail just as brief, before looking away, "If I may speak, your highness?"

Alana nodded, curious, "You may."

"Your letter caught me off guard, I'll admit. I never expected to get noticed by royalty." He says, modesty showing bright as sunlight.

Alana tilts her head, "Jack chose you, among many others, because you're one of the brightest minds we have to offer. And so far, you're one of the few who hasn't looked at Abigail like you wanted to devour her."

Will looked surprised at that, looking to Abigail then back to Alana, "Your highness, she's just a girl... Young enough to be my daughter."

Alana smiles at that, hearing the paternal edge in his tone, "Yes, yes she is... You have experience in the fields desired, Will?"

Will nods, "I have been teaching for a decade now. I can give you a list of my previous students that I tutored, and the places I studied before I taught."

Alana smiled and held up a hand in dismissal, "I trust Jack's judgement, but thank you for your transparency." She stood, folding her hands together in front of her. "I'll have a room made up for you, Will. You will stay at the castle during the week, tutoring Abagail on those days, and on the weekend are free to go to your home. I see you have a ring, a wife?"

Will blushes slightly, shaking his head, "Husband, his name is Matthew, your highness."

Alana nods, "All the same, I will make sure that your pay ensures that your time away from Matthew is worth the while. You may take your leave, I expect you back at the castle in three days to begin Abigail's tutoring."

Will smiles and nods, bowing, "Thank you, my queen," then turns and leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

When Will got home that night, Matthew looked at him expectantly.

"So...? How did your summons with the queen go?" Matthew asks, wrapping his arms around Wills hips.

Will looked up at him with a serious face for a long, quiet moment before his face split into a grin. "You're looking at the princess' new tutor."

Matthew smiled and spun them in a circle, laughing, "This is fantastic! I knew you'd be able to snag it," he said before kissing him chastly on the lips.

Will smiled into the kiss before pulling away, rubbing the back of his neck, "They want me to live at the castle during the week, I'll only see you two days... Barely that, considering travel." He sighs.

Matthew crosses his arms across his chest, nodding, "We'll make it work, though. Won't we?" His eyes full of hope

Will looks to him and his heart swells, nodding, going over and kissing him again, "Of course we will. How could we not?"

Will kissed him a third time, deeper this time, Matthew responding eagerly as he uncrossed his arms and wrapped them around Will's waist. Will's hands cupped Matthew's face as they kissed, caressing down his neck to his shoulders, gripping them lightly. Matthew started leading them towards the stairs to the second floor of their little house, his hands wandering to unbutton Will's waistcoat, before breaking the kiss.

"How long until you leave?" He asks, turning to lead the way upstairs.

"The lesser part of three days," Will replies, following him, slipping the waistcoat off before pulling the white flowing shirt over his head.

Matthew takes his own waistcoat off and black flowing shirt, unfastening his pants as he turns to Will as they stand in front of the bed, an eyebrow raised. "I better make it memorable for you then shouldn't I?"

Will chuckles as he kicks off his boots and pulls off his socks, before pushing his own pants off "You should, I'll miss you while I'm gone..."

Will goes back in for a kiss as Matthew pushes his own pants off, allowing Will to push him back onto the bed, pulling Will down with him. They fall together with Will between Matthews legs, grinding their hips against each others, moaning into the kiss. Matthew soon puts his hands on Will's hips, gripping them tight as the only warning before he rolls them over on the bed, slipping his knee between Will's legs.

Will breaks the kiss as Matthew's hands slip around to grab his ass, Matthew taking the moment to kiss down Will's neck.

"Don't mark me up, Matt..." Will whispers as Matthew nips his collarbone, who then sighs and nods.

"I won't, I wouldn't want you to be dismissed before you get a chance." He continues kissing down his chest, stomache, then takes his cock in his mouth, making Will gasp as he runs his fingers through Matthew's hair.

Matthew starts to suck and bob his head as he spreads Will's legs, meanwhile Will reaching for the jar of olive oil on the table beside the bed almost knocking it over on accident. He hands it to Matthew who pours some on his fingers, rubbing Will's puckered entrance for a moment before pushing a finger in. Will moans as Matthew keeps bobbing on his cock, pushing the slicked digit in and out a few times before adding a second, scissoring the fingers before curling them, brushing against his prostate with practiced ease, making Will moan out again.

Matthew pulled his fingers out and pulled off of Will's cock, licking his lips as he slicked his cock with more oil. Will was panting slightly as he pushed himself up on his elbows, biting his lip as he watched Matthew stroke his own cock a couple times before pressing it to Wills entrance and slowly pushing in. Will groaned, reaching up to pull Matthew down into a kiss as he slid in fully to the root, Matthew kissing him deeply as he let Will adjust for a moment.

Soon Will broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to Matthews, biting his lip and nodded a little. With that Matthew started slowly pumping into him, holding his hips, building up speed with every thrust. Will moaned as he tilted his head back, Matthew kissing his neck as he pushed into him over and over. After a few more thrusts Matthew moved one of his hands from Will's hip to Will's leaking cock, wrapping around it and pumping in time with his thrusts. Will laid back on the bed, arching his back as he moaned, gripping the bedsheets tightly.

It wasn't long before Will felt his orgasm overwhelm him, white sperm shooting out from under Matthew's hand. Matthew moaned as Will's hole pulsed around his cock, quickly following in orgasm himself as he released deep inside Will. With that Matthew collapsed ontop of Will, who in return ran his fingers through Matthew's hair as he smiled.

"Do you have anywhere to be for the next three days?" Will asks him when their breathing had calmed, wincing a little as Matthew gently pulled out of him.

"I'm all yours, Mr. Graham." Matthew responds playfully, kissing his cheek before getting up and going over to the pitcher of water on the table, wetting a washcloth, and returning to the bed. He wipes off the sperm from Will's stomache, then down between his legs, before leaning in to kiss him chastely on the lips.

"I love you Matthew." Will says with a smile as Matthew tosses the washcloth into a dirty clothes pile.

"I love you too Will." Matthew responds as he lays with him in bed, pulling the blanket over them. They both soon quickly fall to sleep.

Three days comes and goes, and soon Will is standing in the main hall with three bags. Mostly books from his on collection, though the smallest of the bags is filled with clothes.

One of the servants leads him to his room where he leaves his bag of clothes for later, before inquiring about where he would find Abigail. The servant nods and leads the way, offering to take his bags of books but then looking relieved when he politely declines.

Abigail is in one of the sitting rooms with Beverly when they find them, whom looks over to Will with curiosity. "You must be Will, the new tutor. I'm Beverly, the language tutor. I should be done with her soon, if you want to wait?"

Will nods, "That's fine, I have her from noon till four. Take your time." He sets down the bags of books with heavy thuds, gaining an eyebrow raise from Beverly but not another word as she turns her attention back to language.

At noon Beverly takes her leave, and Abigail looks over to Will's bag's curiously. "We have books, I think? Why did you bring your own?"

Will rubs the back of his neck and chuckles, looking over to Abigail. "I prefer certain editions of books, I find that some editions are either dated, mistranslated, or simply obsolete. So I bring my own, just in case." He takes a book out of the pile and opens it, sitting beside her at her table. "Now, what do you know about governments?"


	4. Chapter 4

Abigail finished her first four hours of study with Will like a sponge, soaking up everything he said with inquisitive eyes and curious furrowed brows. The time had flown by so quickly that when a servant came to the room to let them know that it was time to get ready for dinner, Will's eyes widened in surprise while Abigail groaned in complaint.

"I wish my hours with Freddie went by as quickly." She grumbled, closing the geography book they were currently working in.

Will chuckled at that, standing. "Freddie is your third tutor, I'm guessing?" 

Abigail nodded and crossed her arms on the table before resting her chin on them, "She's insufferable. Etiquette, dancing, needlepoint, singing... every day since I was six. I know how to do it all at this point, I don't understand why I still need her for four hours a day." She complains with frustration, sighing.

"You were being raised to be a proper lady before," Will eyed her curiously, thinking to himself for a moment before continuing. "Has anyone ever taught you anything to defend yourself with?"

Abigail sat up and looked to him, frowning in confusion. "Defend myself? Of course not. That's what knights and soldiers are for."

Will nodded a bit, crossing his arms, "Okay, but you're the heir of the kingdom now, you're more than who you were before. Don't you want to be able to know for certain with your own hands that you'll be safe?"

Abigail nods quickly, "Sure, yeah, but how?"

Will smiles a bit, "I could ask the king and queen if I could give you an hour of fencing lessons, in place of one of Freddie's hours. It's a long shot, but if you're interested I'll happily ask tonight after dinner while you're at your lessons."

Abigail smiled and nodded, standing, "That sounds good to me. Now, let's make our way to the dining hall."

With that Will lets her lead the way, following a respectful distance behind her. When they enter the hall they part ways, Abigail heading to the main table while Will looks around the busy room before seeing Beverly waving Will over. He smiles slightly and goes over, taking a seat across from her.

"Will, how did her studies with you go?" She asks, her plate already full of food.

Will looks at the varied spread on the table, a little overwhelmed by everything being offered at once for such a daily meal. He looked up to her, realizing he hadn't answered her, he cleared his throat awkwardly, "She's incredibly intelligent, absorbing everything I throw her way. Does she retain long term as well as she does short term?"

Beverly nods, smiling "Everything. I've been tutoring her in languages since she was a child. She picks things up quickly and keeps it. Are you going to eat or just stare at the food?"

Will blushes lightly and starts to serve himself, "I'm just not used to seeing so much food in one place at one time. It's a little shocking."

Beverly nods as she starts to eat, smiling "You tutored dukes and duchesses before, haven't you?"

Will nodded, "Yes, but never as a live-in tutor, I always went home for dinner." He starts to eat, smiling a bit. "I miss home already, if I'm honest."

Beverly smiles softly, "You get used to it. Its hard not to."

Will nods, and they both finish their food. After dinner, Will looks around the room and sees the king and queen leaving the room, standing quickly and follows. After a few moments he catches up, the sound of his shoes making them aware of his presence. They turn to him, Alana smiling and Hannibal looking to him expression blank.

"Will, what do we have the pleasure?"

Will bows to them, "My queen, my king, if I may be so bold I would like to make a request on behalf of Abagail?"

Hannibal raises a brow and nods, looking Will over. "Go on."

"I would like to request permission to teach Abigail how to fence. A way to protect herself." Will says looking between them.

Alana frowns, "Will, I think that's hardly appropriate for Ab--"

"When would you be teaching her? Surely your four hours are already spoken for." Hannibal interrupts, the corner of his mouth upturned in a smirk.

Will blinked in surprise, having expected more resistance than that, but recovered quickly, "I would be taking one of Freddie's hours. Perhaps I could take the last one before she gets ready for bed?"

Hannibal hums in thought for a moment then nods, "You'll be needing supplies, I imagine. Send a list to Jack of what you need and I will have it acquired. You may start once you have what you need."

Will nods, "Thank you, my king. My queen." He turns and leaves, smiling a bit.

Alana turns and looks to Hannibal as they continue down the corridor, frowning. "Do you really think this is a good idea, Hannibal?"

Hannibal nods, thinking back of Will, "Our little one needs to be prepared for everything that comes her way. This is just the tip of the iceberg in preparing her."

Alana sighs and nods.

The next morning, Will finds the king and Jack talking in the great hall. Will walks over to them, holding his list of supplies for Abigail's fencing lessons. Hannibal notices him first and the corners of his mouth turn up in almost a smile.

"Will, good morning. I see you have a paper in your hands, your supply list I assume?"

Jack looks to him and nods, Will nodding back as he hands Jack the list. "Everything Abigail needs is on that list, how soon do you think you could get me everything Jack?"

Jack scans the list and nods, looking back up, "A week, two at most."

Will nods and smiles, "Great, thank you. I have to go prepare Abigail's lesson now, if you'll excuse me." Will bows and leaves.

Hannibal watches him go a moment longer before turning back to Jack, only for Jack to be watching Hannibal curiously. Hannibal raised a brow.

"Nothing, my king."

"Hm."

Will got to Abigail's study just as Beverly was leaving, Beverly smiling to him as she left.

"So?" Abigail stood as she asked, her bright blue eyes gleaming.

Will laughed, "My request to teach you to fence was accepted. Freddie will lose an hour at the end of the night and I will gain one."

Abigail jumped in excitement, "Yes!"

Will laughed more and took one of his books from his stack in her study and sat down next to her, "It will be a week or too before we can start, so don't get too excited just yet."

Abigail sighed and nodded, sitting down and diving into her studies.


	5. Chapter 5

When Will gets home that first weekend, Matthew is waiting for him with a smile and open arms. They embrace for a time, just enjoying each other, before Will kisses Matthew's cheek.

"Did you miss me?" Matthew asks playfully, to which Will nods. "How is teaching the princess?"

"Abigail is brilliant, you'd like her Matt. She just takes everything you throw at her without hesitation." Will says, "And you should see how they splurge on dinner every night, its so... Much. Everything is so much."

Matthew laughs and nods, teasing "Soon you'll want to be spending your pay on their fancy clothes and baubles."

Will scoffed, "I'm much happy with my own clothes, thank you. Its bad enough they insist on having the servants clean them for me."

Matthew shrugged, "Better than you spending our time together washing clothes, I would like to think."

Will nodded and kissed Matthew, knowing the two days they had would not be enough.

When he returned to the castle, he noticed Freddie in the great hall writing in a book. Walking over to her, she shut her book and grinned up to him, though her smile did not meet her eyes.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Will? Come to tell me finally about how you're stealing more of Abigail's time from me?" She said sharply.

Will blinked in surprise, rubbing the back of his neck before crossing his arms. "You don't think the princess should learn how to protect herself?"

Freddie rolled her eyes, "That's what knights are for. She shouldn't be picking up swords. Hardly lady-like."

Will frowned and shook his head, "The king seemed to disagree."

"The king disagreed about what?" Hannibal said as he made his way over, followed by Jack.

Will blushed, "We were talking about how you agreed to allow me to teach Abagail how to fence."

Hannibal nodded, looking between them, "Surely Frederika understands the importance of the heir's safety."

Freddie nodded and stood, bowing, "Of course, your highness. I only want what's best for Abigail... If you'll excuse me." She turned and left.

Hannibal looked to Will, "Will, may I see you in my study later tonight after dinner? I have other matters to attend to right now but I would like a chance to speak with you."

Will blinked in surprise but nodded, "Of course, your highness."

With that Hannibal nodded and left, Jack making eye contact with Will before leaving. That brief moment of eye contact had Will nervous about later that night, for some reason, but he tried to brush it off as he left the hall and made his way towards Abigail's study. It was almost time for her lessons.

When lessons were finished and dinner completed, Will made his way down the corridors of the palace to Hannibal's study. He shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot for a moment before knocking.

"You may enter."

Will pushed the door open and saw Hannibal standing in front of a lit fireplace, glass of wine in his hand. Jack was standing in a far corner of the room silently.

"You may go, Jack."

Jack nods and Will steps further into the room out of his way, Jack closing the door behind himself.

"You wanted to speak with me, your highness?" Will said carefully, Jack's departure making him nervous.

Hannibal sipped his wine and nodded, "Would you care for some wine, Will?"

Will hesitated but nodded, not sure if he was in the position to refuse. Hannibal smiled and poured him a glass, passing it over to him. Will took it and took a sip, surprised at how good it was.

"Will, I'm sure you're aware that kings and queens have their paramours, their mistresses, their cicisbeo. Even Alana has her lady in waiting, Margot, though they believe they've been discreet."

Will nodded numbly as he sipped his wine again, figuring out quickly which direction this conversation was going.

Hannibal looked to him for a moment before continuing, "I desire you, Will. I intend to take you on as my paramour."

Will swallows dryly then takes a large gulp of the wine before speaking, "I have a husband."

Hannibal smiles and tilts his head, "As my cicisbeo, then. I insist that all parties be consenting. I will even make Alana aware, perhaps she will feel more comfortable with Margot then."

Will's eyes widen and he looks to the floor, his mouth opening and closing a few times as if trying to find something to say. Hannibal makes his way over to Will, putting his wine on the desk beside them before taking Will's and doing the same. Will looked up to him nervously as Hannibal cupped his cheek.

"Say yes to this, Will. You'll never want for anything ever again under my care."

Will let out a shaky breath and nodded, watching as Hannibal smiled then leaned in and kissed him deeply.

For who could ever refuse a king?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, extremely dubious consent ahead. If that squicks or triggers you, please skip this chapter.

Kissing Hannibal was different than kissing Matthew. There was a certain sense of need and urgency there that Matthew didn't give off, a lacking comfort Hannibal didn't provide. When Will broke the kiss Hannibal kissed down his jaw to his neck, licking and sucking on his pulse point. Will's eye's widened at the pressure.

"Wait, Abigail--"

"Is a big girl and will understand that adults will do as they please." Hannibal interrupts, his hands making quick work of Will's waistcoat buttons, pushing it down his arms. He then pulls Will's shirt up over his head, discarding it on the ground.

Will nods a bit, shaking hands helping Hannibal out of his own clothes, soon both of them naked before each other. Will swallows nervously as Hannibal puts his hands on his shoulders, gently pressing down, Will taking the hint and lowering himself to his knees before him. He takes Hannibal's cock and balls in his hands, stroking the large erect member a few times before leaning in and taking it into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the head before starting to bob his head, wetly sucking his cock.

Hannibal groans, one hand on the back of Will's neck and the other tangling into his hair. "Good boy."

Will keeps bobbing and sucking on his cock, hoping that it would be the only request of him for the night, but when Hannibal gently pushed Will away his stomache dropped.

Will looked up to the man with swollen lips and Hannibal smiled, "Stand up, Will."

Will nodded numbly and stood, licking his lips, as Hannibal reached for a small jar of oil on his desk that Will had not noticed there earlier in the night. Will swallowed nervously as Hannibal gently turned him and lightly pushed his shoulder, bending him over the desk. On reflex, Will spread his stance a bit wider. Hannibal kissed Will's shoulder as he slicked his fingers, before pushing one of them into Will. Will's whole body immediately tensed at the intrusion, letting out a shaky breath as he tried relaxing as Hannibal slid the finger in and out.

"Try to relax, my dear." Hannibal whispered in his ear, kissing his shoulder again. Will nodded and closed his eyes, trying to relax into the sensation with a soft moan as Hannibal's finger brushed against his prostate. Hannibal noticed the moan and started to angle his stroking to that spot, pulling another moan out of Will, the man starting to relax finally.

Finally slipping in a second finger, he kept working Will, his other hand reaching around to wrap his half hard cock and start stroking. That made Will gasp and moan, dipping his head as he pushed back into Hannibal's fingers. Hannibal smiled and pushed in a third, making Will moan and pant as the digits pushed in and out.

Soon enough Hannibal pulled his fingers away and took the oil again, slicking his cock. He pressed it against Will's entrance and pushed, Will groaning as the large member made its way inside him. Hannibal only gave him a brief moment to adjust to the feeling of him being fully seated inside him before starting to thrust into him, gripping his hips with bruising force. Will groaned in a mix of pleasure and pain as he gripped the edge of the desk with white knuckles, whining every time Hannibal's cock brushed against his prostate.

Smirking at the whines coming from below him, he angled his hips to make sure to hit that spot every time, the whines becoming moans quickly as he snapped his hips harder. Will was panting and moaning beneath him when he felt Hannibal's hand wrap around his cock again, gasping as the man started quickly pumping his length.

"Ah! I'm gonna.." Will panted out, his voice breaking.

"Let go, that's it..." Hannibal whispered huskily into his ear, stroking Will's cock fast as he kept ramming his cock deep inside of him.

With a trembling moan, Will orgasms, his sperm shooting ropes onto the desk below him. Hannibal thrusts through it, drawing it out for Will, making him whimper, before letting go himself and releasing deep inside Will. Will collapses on the desk, panting, flinching as Hannibal pulls out. Hannibal starts to dress again, looking to Will with a smirk as Will finally starts to regain his composure, standing on shaky knees.

"Do you... Have anything to clean up with?" Will asks quietly, blushing with embarrassment as he feels Hannibal's spent starting to drip down his inner thighs.

Hannibal walks over to the desk taking a washcloth out and hands it to Will. Idly, Will thinks of how soft the material is compared to any of the washcloths or towels he has back home as he cleans himself off then wipes off the desk.

"I'll have them draw a bath for you, Will. From now on, I'll see you in your bedroom after dinner."

Will nods a little, "And when I begin fencing lessons with Abigail?"

Hannibal chuckles, kissing Will on the forehead. "I hardly see how that should get in the way." With that he leaves the room, shutting the door behind himself, leaving Will to dress alone with his thoughts.

When will was finally clothed again he stepped out of the room, nearly walking right into a servant who was waiting for him. "Your bath is ready, sir." She said softly before hurrying away. Will sighed and went to his room, grabbing his night clothes before going to the bath and getting in, letting the warmth soak into his bones as he stared at the ceiling.

'How am I going to tell Matthew?'


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Will dressed as usual and made his way down to breakfast. He sat across from Beverly as usual, who did a double take when she looked up at him.

"Whoa, Will, who marked your neck? I thought you were married?"

Will was mortified, having had hoped the purple inch long mark on his jugular was less noticeable. He put his head in his hands and groaned, rubbing his face. "Can we not talk about it? I'm not ready to talk about it yet."

Beverly shrugged a bit and shook her head, "I mean, we can talk about it whenever you want just make sure we do talk about it. I'm your friend after all."

Will's hands dropped from his face as he sighed and nodded, "Thanks..." he started serving himself breakfast, not having much of an appetite but knowing he should eat. He had scooped some food on his fork and was about to eat when someone poked him right in the neck at the mark, making him jump in surprise. "What--"

"Nice mark, lover boy. Who's is it? The queen's? Or the king's?" Freddie asked, standing next to him with a grin. Will's eyes widened and he tried to find some excuse, "No, the queen has Margot doesn't she? It must be the king. No one else here would have the gall to mark up a married man so brazenly."

Will's stomache fell through the floor and he opened his mouth to reply but shut it, not knowing if there would be consequences if he were to deny the affair so publicly.

"You slept with the king?" Beverly said in shock, staring at Will.

Will quickly stood up, "I'm not hungry, excuse me." He said before leaving.

From across the noisy dining hall, Hannibal watched the interaction, not close enough to hear but from their body language and actions could figure out enough. He chuckled to himself as he sipped his wine, Alana looking to him curiously.

"Is something amusing, my king?" She asks quietly, not having noticed the interaction of the tutors.

Hannibal nodded, "Indeed..." he looked to her, watching for her reaction as he spoke, "I decided to take Will as my paramour last night, Alana."

Alana frowned angerly as she put down her fork, "Hannibal, really? A married man, and one of our daughter's tutors no less?"

Hannibal chuckled, "Should I have taken one of my unwed advisors, as you did with Margot?"

Alana blanched and stuttered, taking a drink from her water glass, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Hannibal."

Hannibal raised a brow and smirked, "Oh? Then I should allow Mason to marry his dear sister off for her dowry then, never to return to the palace, never to grace your lips again?"

Alana's eyes widened and she placed the glass down, "You wouldn't..."

Hannibal sipped his wine and nodded, "You're right, I won't, my queen. You may keep your dear lady in waiting, I will keep paying Mason his exhorborant requests to keep him from marrying her off... In return, I will enjoy my own paramour as I please."

Alana closed her eyes and sighed, before standing and looking down to him. "Do as you please, my king." Then walked away. As if on cue, across the room Margot got up from where she sat and followed after Alana, face expressing concern.

Abigail looked over from her seat on the other side of Alana, not having overheard the hushed words of her parents. "Is something the matter with mother?"

Hannibal smiled over to her, "Finish your breakfast, little one, its almost time for your lessons with Beverly."

The princess nodded and went back to eating, knowing that it was useless to push the subject when her father didn't feel like talking.

Later that day, Abigail was writing in her notebook when Beverly left and Will entered the study. Will sat down and opened a book and started talking when Abigail looked up, immediately noticing the mark on his neck and blinked in surprise. "Is that a love mark?"

Will blushed and covered it with his hand in embarrassment, sighing. "Yes."

"But you didn't have that yesterday when you came back from being home."

"No. No I didn't. You're right." His hand fell and he fidgeted with the corners of the book pages.

"So... If it's not from your husband, who's it from?" She asked, blue eyes filled with curiosity.

He sighed again and looked away, "You're bound to find out eventually so there's no point in lying to you..." he trailed off, hesitating. "Your father, the king, has taken me as his paramour."

Abigail blinked in surprise a few times, before nodding with pursed lips, "Well, there's that. Does my mother know?"

Will looked to her cautiously, having expected more of a reaction than that. "The king said everyone involved would need to know, so if she doesn't already know, she will."

Abigail nodded and looked down to the books, starting to read as if nothing had happened. Will sighed and began their session finally, relieved to take the subject off himself.

When he went to leave, he paused, turning to look at Abigail again hesitantly. "Are you upset with me, princess?"

She looked to him confused and shook her head, "Even I know that you couldn't have said no to my father."

With that, Will relaxes slightly and smiles softly to her, the first time since the night before. "Thank you, Abigail. Enjoy your dinner."

At dinner, Beverly reached across the table and held Will's hand. "Hey, so, how are you going to tell Matthew?" She asked, tucking her hair behind her ear with her other hand.

Will grimaced and looked down at his still empty plate. "I, I don't know. I still have three and a half days to think about it, I guess. Hopefully the mark will be gone by then."

Beverly pulled her hand away and started to serve herself for dinner, looking up to him occasionally. "Three days is going to go pretty fast, but not fast enough for that purple mark to be completely gone, Will. He's going to see it."

Will put his face in his hands with his elbows on the table, sighing heavily. "I can't believe this is happening. I wish I never came to the palace that day. I was the last candidate, they would have called someone else back into the room if I wasn't there."

Beverly shrugged a little and started to eat, "As sorry as I feel for you, that won't change anything. So its best to figure things out sooner than later."

Will nodded and rubbed his face before starting to serve himself, knowing he definitely had to eat now since he hadn't eaten all day. He pushed the food around his plate for a few minutes before starting to eat.

When dinner finished, Will looked over across the room to where the king sat, only to see him watching Will. Will nodded a bit and got up, looking to Beverly "Have a good night, Beverly."

She nodded to him, noticing his grim expression but said nothing. "Goodnight, Will."

With that, Will left the hall, making his way down the corridors to his own room. Once in his room he started undressing slowly, not certain how long the king would take, but knowing ultimately he would be there.

Eventually the door opened without a knock, as Will was unfastening his pants, naked from the waist up. He looked over to the king, who smiled to him. "Your highness."

"Hello, Will." He starts undressing as he makes his way over to Will, stopping to kiss him on the lips. Will reluctantly kisses back, hands pushing his own pants off leaving him naked in front of the king.

The king smiles into the kiss and pulls him close, leaving Will's shaking hands to help with undressing him.

And at the end of the night, Will sinks into the warm water of his bath with a sigh. Beverly was right, Will needed to figure out how he would tell Matthew three nights from now that he had violated his faith in their marriage so soon into working at the palace. Shaking his head and starting to scrub himself with a washcloth, feeling dirty at even the thought, he quickly washes up before draining the bath.

After dressing he returns to his room, throwing the sweat and semen soiled top blanket onto the floor before climbing into bed, pulling the other blankets over himself. He'd be cold that night, sure, but he'd be damned if he fell asleep with the scent of his adultery overwhelming his senses.


	8. Chapter 8

And on the third day, Will was a mix of relieved and anxious to finish Abigail's tutoring session. Soon he would be leaving for home, leaving for Matthew. He decided to skip dinner entirely and to go straight to his room to pack for the weekend, hesitating on whether or not he needed to. 

His sweet man, who only saw him, what if he thought Will had sought out the king's affections? What if Matthew threw him out? What if Matthew yelled and screamed, called him detestable things?

Will's hands were shaking again as he finished packing his bag, like they shook every night the king came to his room. Their affair had become a nightly thing, like the king had desired, but that didn't make it any easier for Will to go along with.

Will wiped the budding tears from his eyes and sighed, shaking out his hands and ran a hand through his curly locks. It was now or never, after all.

The trip home that night was both the longest and shortest it had ever been. When he got to their front door he hesitated, his hand hovering over the doorknob. Closing his eyes and letting out a shaky breath, he opened the door, letting himself into the home.

He could see from his spot at the door that Matthew was cooking dinner, his back to him. Will dropped his bag at the door as he shut it behind him before going up behind Matthew and wrapping his arms around his waist, nuzzling his face into the man's shoulder as he breathed in his scent.

"Welcome home, Mister Graham, I missed you..!" Matthew said happily, leaning back into the embrace.

Will nodded into his shoulder and held him, barely keeping his composure. "I missed you too. So much."

"I hope you don't mind we're having rabbit. I wanted to surprise you with something more worthwhile, but, I didn't want to spend your hard earned money..." Matthew said, a light embarrassment dusting his cheeks.

"I'm fine with rabbit. Rabbit feels like home." Will says quietly, still wrapped around Matthew, not wanting him to face him just yet. Wanting to pretend everything was fine.

Matthew picked up on the strangely quiet, clingy demeanor of his husband and frowned, pulling away from him. "Will, what's wrong?"

Will takes a couple steps back, not looking Matthew in the eye, his throat going dry. "Matthew, ah, there's something I need to tell you..."

Matthew frowns more, nodding, "Okay..." He reaches out to cup Will's cheek with his hand, and when Will flinches he pulls his hand away as if he himself had been burned, "I'm listening."

Will's mouth opens and closes a few times, like a fish out of water, desperately trying to find the words. Matthew looks him over quizzically, his eyes stopping and widening at his neck when he notices a faded bruise.

"Will, why do you have a bruise on your throat?" He asks quietly, hands fisting at his sides. He knew what that bruise might mean, but he didn't want to believe it.

"Matthew, I, please..." Will started, his hands reaching out to Matthew, who stepped back.

"Please what, Will? What is that bruise on your neck from?"

Will swallowed, looking away, "Its from the king, Matthew..."

Matthew blinked in disbelief a few times, his voice a pitch higher than usual, "I'm sorry, what?"

Will looked back to Matthew and took a step forward again, eyes watering up. "Matthew, please, I didn't know this was going to happen, I don't want this."

Matthew pursed his lips and tilts his head, quiet for a moment before speaking with a tremble to his voice, "I'm sorry, Will, I must have misunderstood you. That just made it sound like, like this is some ongoing thing? And not just a one night affair?"

Will's stomache fell through the floor and he nodded, speaking so quiet Matthew almost didn't hear him, "It's ongoing..."

Matthew rubbed his face with both hands, turning away from Will. "I didn't hear that. You didn't just say that."

Will's heart was breaking in his chest with every moment that passed between them. "The king has taken me on as his paramour, he wants me to be his cicisbeo..."

Matthew laughed harshly at that, turning to look back at Will, "His cicisbeo? He wants to publicly wear you on his arm and cuck me with my knowing consent?" He laughs bitterly, "This is great. Just great." 

Tears were freely falling for Will now as he stepped forward again, reaching out for Matthew, desperate for time to reverse. "Matthew, please, I couldn't lie to you, I needed you to know. You know I couldn't say no to him, he's the--"

"The king!" Matthew cuts him off, finishing his sentence. "Of course the king of all people would take interest in my husband. The one person you can't in your right mind say no to." Before Will could touch him, he turned and walked away. "I need space. Take the stew off the stove. It's done."

With that Will heard the sound of a fist hitting a wall before the sound of Matthew going up the steps. Left alone in the kitchen, Will's knees gave out under him, sobbing into his hands.

After some time, Will regained his composure, standing and took the stew off the stove. From the smell of it, it was now over cooked, possibly a little burnt on the bottom. Will numbly ladled out two bowls of stew and dipped a spoon into each bowl. He carried the stews up to the bedroom where he found Matthew sitting on the bed, back facing him, fidgeting with his wedding ring.

Will went over to Matthew and sat next to him, just far enough apart that they weren't touching, holding out the stew in front of him quietly. They sat there for a few moments, neither looking at each other, before Matthew finally took the stew quietly. At that, Will looked over to Matthew and saw his cheeks wet from tears, before looking down to his stew.

"Thank you." Matthew said quietly before starting to eat, not commenting on the overcooked state of the stew. Will nodded and started to eat as well, both not saying a word until they finished their stews.

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" Matthew said quietly, resigned.

Will shook his head a bit, "The king never threatened me, but, I know better..."

Matthew nodded a bit, tilting his head back and letting out a sigh with eyes closed. "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight. I'm sorry. I just. I can't."

Will's eyes watered but he nodded, looking away, "I understand."

Matthew stood and took Will's bowl and spoon, kissing Will on the top of his messy curls, before going downstairs. When Will was finally alone again, he let the tears fall quietly. He kicked off his boots before laying in bed, fully clothed, curling up under the blankets and cried himself to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

The weekend crawls slowly for Will, Matthew resigning himself to sleep on the couch the next night as well. Few words pass between them throughout the days, and when it was time for Will to leave, he stood at the door, hesitating, looking back at Matthew who stood in the room with his arms folded over his chest. Not in defiance or attitude, no, but in a gesture of self comfort.

"Matthew, I don't want to leave like this.." Will said quietly, his eyes watering up what seemed like the hundredth time since he had gotten home.

Matthew sighed and walked over to Will, taking him into his arms gently, kissing each cheek. "I don't want you to leave at all if I'm being quite honest. I can't stand the thought of you in his arms."

Will burried his face in Matthew's neck and lets out a shaky breath, "You know I have to go back."

Matthew nodded and sighed, pulling away. "I still love you."

Will smiled a little and nodded, "I love you too." And with that, he left the home.

When Will arrived back at the palace, he went first to his room then to breakfast, sitting with Beverly as usual.

"Well don't you look like death, Will. Did you do anything but cry this weekend?" She asked, concern dripping from her words.

Will sighed and shrugged a little, "We also had burnt rabbit stew a few times."

Beverly shook her head, "Is he going to leave you, though? I know the Vatican looks down on it, but it's not unheard of."

Will hesitated but shook his head. "I don't think so. Not yet, at least... He said he still loves me." He started serving himself breakfast.

"That's great! Maybe you two will get through this stronger than ever!" Beverly says with a smile, ever the hopeful optimist.

Will nods a little, hoping so as well, but says nothing.

After breakfast Will wanders through the courtyard's garden, the beginning of spring starting to make the flowers bloom finally. He knelt down in the grass in front of one of the flowers to smell it when he heard someone coming up behind him, turning slightly to look over his shoulder.

There stood the queen and her lady in waiting, both smiling down to him. "Enjoying the garden, Will?" Alana asked

Will stood and bowed a little to her, "Yes, I came to try to clear my thoughts. I didn't realize there would be anyone else, I'm sorry for intruding. I'll take my leave."

Alana held up a hand and shook her head lightly, smiling more. "Nonsense, you're not intruding... So the king has taken interest in you this past week, did you tell your husband yet?"

Will grits his teeth and looks down, the subject still sore for him, "Yes... He is aware."

Alana nods and smiles, "Good, Will. Secrets are a terrible thing... Carnival is coming up, will you grace us with Matthew's presence at the palace ball that night? I would love to meet him."

Will eyed her cautiously, not sure what game she was playing, but nodded all the same. "If your highness so wishes, I will have him join me."

Alana nods and turns to leave, "Good, do make sure to be dressed appropriately though. We can't have the two of you looking like paupers at a ball. We may allow it for Abigail's tutoring but for a ball it simply would not do." She leaves, a snickering Margot following behind her.

Will's face was bright red with embarrassment as he looked down at his clothes. He and Matthew were hardly paupers, both being born into noble families of modest wealth, but when compared to the flare and flamboyance of royalty...

Perhaps it would be fitting to ask the king to assist him with procuring an outfit for the ball, after all, he did say Will would want for nothing.

Will went back into the palace and made his way to Abigail's study, almost bumping into Beverly as she left the room. He entered and smiled a little, taking a book from his stack and sitting with her, diving into her studies.

After dinner, Will made his way to his room to wait for the king's visit with a sense of purpose for once. He undressed then sat on his bed, waiting patiently for the man. Soon enough the king let himself in without knocking, pleased at seeing Will naked already.

"Did I keep you waiting for long?" Hannibal asked, starting to undress as he made his way over to the bed.

Will shook his head, "No, my king..." he stood and started to help Hannibal undress, both noticing his hands not shaking as bad as usual. He couldn't tell if it was because he was simply distracted, or if he was getting used to the king's intentions. 

When they were both naked Will leaned in and kissed the king, the first time he had ever initiated anything between them. The king paused in surprise but quickly deepened the kiss, his hands roaming Will's body. Will placed his hands on Hannibal's chest after a moment and gently pushed away, breaking the kiss.

"My king, I wanted to ask you for something..." Will started, looking cautiously into Hannibal's eyes.

Hannibal nodded for him to continue, leaning in and kissing his neck, holding him around the waist. "Yes?

Will sighed softly at the feeling and continued, "The Carnival ball is coming up quickly. The queen requested that I bring Matthew... This brings up issue that neither of us have quite the right formal wear for such an occasion."

The king nodded again, pulling back to look at Will, the briefest flash of mischief in his eyes before it was gone. "Of course. I will send a royal tailor to you and Matthew's home, and send for another to see to you here. We have one month before the ball, that should be enough time for them to finish something appropriate for you both."

Will felt a sense of unease but nodded, "Thank you, my king." He kissed Hannibal again, closing his eyes.

The king turned them to sit back on the bed and patted his lap, smiling at Will who nodded and straddled his lap without a word. They resumed the kiss as Hannibal ran his hands up and down Will's thighs, Will wrapping his arms around the king's broad shoulders. Hannibal broke the kiss this time, reaching over and taking the jar of oil from the bedside table, slicking his fingers.

Will tensed as he felt the slicked digits press against his entrance, closing his eyes and holding Hannibal's shoulders tightly as he slipped one in. He let out a shaky sigh as Hannibal worked the finger in and out, forcing his body to relax. Soon a second finger was pushed in and Will whimpered softly, burrying his face in the king's neck. By the time the third finger was added, Will was panting softly, eyes closed tight as he imagined it was Matthew who's lap he sat in.

When Will was fully prepared, Hannibal pulled his fingers away and slicked his cock, pushing it in as he pulled Will's hips down. Will groaned as Hannibal's length spread him open, his fingers pressing tightly into Hannibal's shoulders. When he was pressed fully down onto the king's cock he squirmed a bit, adjusting his hips, before starting to lift himself before pushing back down. He moved slow at first, for once the king not demanding a bruising pace as his hands set on his hips.

Will started to move faster and moaned as his prostate was brushed, eyes still shut, still imagining it was Matthew. The king groaned below him, his hands gripping Will's hips tightly, holding him still as he started to thrust up into Will, making Will tip his head back as he moaned louder.

The king nipped and licked Will's neck as he kept thrusting up into Will, hitting the man's prostate with every stroke. Will panted and moaned, pushing back down to meet the thrusts, pleasantly surprising Hannibal who sucked on his pulse point. Soon Will reached between them and started to stroke himself, moaning more as he started to get close to orgasm.

Hannibal could tell Will was getting close and started thrusting up harder into him, making Will moan out loudly. With a few more strokes of his cock Will came, ropes of white bursting onto his stomache. Hannibal pulled him down hard and bit his shoulder, making Will cry out, releasing deep inside Will.

Will held on, resting his head on Hannibal's shoulder, panting as he tried to catch his breath. Hannibal kissed the red bite mark, slipping out of Will and rubbing his hips. Will gingerly moved out of Hannibal's lap to sit on the bed beside him, letting Hannibal stand and start to dress. Will watched him as he left then sighed, touching the sore bite mark tenderly.

At least this one would be covered with his clothes.


	10. Chapter 10

The week continues on, a routine building. Will having breakfast with Beverly before she left to tutor Abigail, leaving him to wander the palace with his thoughts. Then at noon he taught Abagail himself until four, where they parted ways to prepare for dinner. Eating again with Beverly's company. Then going to his room and waiting for the king's affections before taking a bath and going to bed.

It was getting easier and easier as the nights went on to attend to Hannibal's desire, despite how much Will hated himself for it. It didn't help that it physically felt good, it didn't help that he was an attractive man, it didn't help that he got to spoil himself with nightly bathes afterwards. The guilt came purely from the ring on his finger, the promise of fidelity.

It was after Abigail's session on Friday when will heard a knock on his door. Curious, he stopped packing for his weekend home and answered it. Jack was standing there, turned slightly to the side. He looked to will and smiled.

"Hello Will. I thought you'd like to know that we have everything you need to start Abigail's fencing lessons. Will you be starting tonight?"

Will shook his head, smiling politely, "No, I'm going home for the weekend. I'll be back Monday for breakfast, we'll have her first session that night."

Jack nodded, "Of course. I'll have the supplies put in Abigail's study. If you'll excuse me." And he took his leave down the corridor. Will watched him go with a sigh, before going back into his room and finishing packing, taking his bag and leaving.

When Will finally got home he opened the door hesitantly, expecting the tense atmosphere that he had left behind the week before.

"Welcome home, Will." Matthew said, walking over to him and hugging him, a wave of relief washing over Will.

"I missed you, Matthew." Will said, smiling slightly. He cups Matthews face in his hands and kisses his lips softly.

Matthew gently kissed back, holding him close. "I cooked fish tonight, if that's okay."

Will nodded and pressed his forehead against Matthew's. "I'm happy with whatever you cook for me."

Matthew smiled and pulled away, going back over to the stove and finishing cooking. Will put his bag down on the couch. "Did a tailor come to visit you?"

Matthew looked over his shoulder, nodding. "He said he was sent by the king, something about a ball? He had designs drawn up already for me to choose from and everything."

Will nodded and sighed in relief, thinking back to the mischievous look on the king's face that night. Maybe he had imagined it? "The queen had insisted that I invite you, but also that we be dressed appropriately. So I asked for a favor."

Matthew stilled for a moment at that, clenching his knuckles white at his side before turning to face Will with a smile, "Of course."

Matthew's brief anger did not go unnoticed, but it was clear to Will that he didn't want to talk about it. Will smiled tightly in return, "You'll at least be able to finally meet Abigail, and Beverly, if nothing else."

Matthew nodded and turned back to the stove, dishing our their food before bringing their plates to the table in the center of the room. Will sat across from him as he put the plates down, looking up to Matthew who sat down and started to eat. Will sighed softly and did the same quietly.

After dinner they washed up the dishware together, Will looking out the window to see it was getting late. Lost in thought, he nearly jumped when Matthew hugged him from behind, kissing his shoulder.

"Let's go up to bed?" He suggested, though Will couldn't tell if it was an innocent or suggestive one. Will smiled softly and nodded, taking Matthew's hand and lead the way.

When they were in the bedroom Matthew started kissing Will, which Will eagerly reciprocated as his hands started helping Matthew undress. Matthew started doing the same, stopping and taking a step back when Will was naked from the waist up. Will frowned in confusion.

"Matthew?"

"Does he have to mark your body?" Matthew asked bitterly.

Will's cheeks burned with shame as he looked away, hugging himself, "I'm sorry, Matthew..."

Matthew rubbed his face and sighed, stepping forward again and held Will, burrying his face in his neck "Its not your fault. Let's just go to bed okay?"

Will nodded, finishing undressing and changed into sleepwear, Matthew doing the same. They both got into bed and Matthew curled up around Will, his arm around Will's waist. Will drifted off, feeling safe and secure, despite his heart still hurting.

When they woke in the morning, Matthew started kissing Will all over his face, making Will laugh. He tried pushing away only for Matthew to pull him closer, kissing down his neck as he started tickling Will, making him squirm and laugh. He kept going with his assault, Will trying desperately to get away as he laughed, tears in his eyes.

"Matthew, mercy, please!" Will begged, laughing as he squirmed beneath the other man. Matthew smiled and his hands stilled, leaning in to kiss Will. Will smiled into the kiss and kissed back, wrapping his arms around Matthew's neck.

Matthews hands slipped under Will's night shirt to caress his stomache, Wills hands untying the drawstring on Matthew's sleep pants. Matthew pulled Will's shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor before taking his own off, kissing down Will's neck. Will pushed Matthews sleep pants down his hips before starting to work on his own, shimmying out of the fabric.

Matthew sat back between Will's legs, smiling down to him as he rubbed his thighs. "My beautiful husband."

Will chuckled as he smiled up to him, blushing lightly. "I'll always be yours, Matthew."

Matthew smiled more and leaned down and kissed him deeply, and in that moment, they both forgot about the world around them.


	11. Chapter 11

Monday came too soon, Will sighed as he made his way down the corridors to breakfast. Taking his seat across from Beverly, she smiled to him.

"You look a lot happier than last Monday, did you and Matthew make up?" She asked, smiling as she ate.

Will nodded, starting to serve himself food, "He's still not happy about the situation, but that's to be expected..."

"It is what it is, really." Beverly sighed, Will nodded again in agreement.

From across the room, they could hear coughing, but they couldn't place who it came from. Will raised an eyebrow, but dismissed it. He finished his food and returned to his room. Soon there was a knock at the door, and when he opened it there was a well-dressed man he didn't know, judging by the measuring rope and a notebook with pencil, Will assumed he was the royal tailor. Stepping out of the way, the man entered the room.

"Hello sir, I was asked by the king to take your measurements and offer you design ideas."

Will nodded, closing the door behind the man. "Sure, thank you."

The man opened his book on the bed to a blank page and turned to Will, starting to take measurements every which way. It had been years since Will had been to a tailor, leaving Will feeling unprepared and feeling a little overwhelmed.

After an hour the man had written down all the measurements he needed and flipped to a previous page, showing will the notebook. "Do any of these strike your fancy?"

Will looked, curiously, eyeing the four designs on the page before choosing one. "That'll do. Were you the same tailor to do the measurements for Matthew?"

The tailor paused, thinking, "Was that the noble man last week in the city? I usually work solely for the royal family and their associates, he was the only sore thumb."

Will nodded, smiling weakly. "Yes, that's my husband. What design did he choose?"

The tailor flipped a few pages back and showed him other designs, equally as extravagant, and pointed to one, "He chose this one, sir."

Will nodded, smiling, then looks up to the tailor. "This is probably a silly question, but is this a masquerade? I know Carnival celebrations usually are."

The tailor nodded and smiled, "Yes, and your masks are included in the designs for both you and your husband, who asked as well."

Will smiled, Matthew thorough as ever.

"I'll be taking my leave. Your outfit will be ready three days before the ball, as well as good Matthews. Should I bring his here for convenience?" The tailor asked.

Will nodded, "That should be fine, thank you." With that the man left, shutting the door behind himself.

Eventually Will made his way down to Abigail's study for her lessons, and when they were wrapping up Abigail looked over to the fencing supplies that were in the corner of the room.

"Will, when will we start our fencing lessons?" She asked, eyes gleaming with excitement as she looked back to him.

Will chuckled and smiled, "Tonight. I'll be picking you up from your study after three hours with Freddie. You'll have a moment to change into your protective uniform and then we'll head down to the great hall to start our practice for the rest of the hour."

"Will the uniform be... pants?" She asked curiously, having only ever worn dresses before.

Will nodded. "If you want, you could go try it on now before dinner so you get comfortable in it." He walked over and took both of their uniforms out of the boxes they were in, holding them up to determine by size which was which. He put them back into the respective boxes and brought them over, putting Abigail's box in front of her.

Abigail giggled giddily and picked up the box, "I'm going to go try it on then. I'll see you tonight, Will." With that she left the study, cradling the box to her chest.

Will smiled as he watched her go, chuckling to himself, before leaving to his room to drop off his uniform before heading to the dining hall early.

He sat at his usual spot in the hall as the servants placed dinner down on the table before him, waiting for Beverly to join him. Will thought idly about the fencing lessons later that night, and of the king's nightly visits. Sure, the mornings after he always was recovered enough from his physical discomfort, but Will doubt he would be in time for the lesson.

"Hello? Will?"

Will looked up from the table to see Beverly sitting across from him and blushed in embarrassment, uncertain how long she had been there. "Oh, uh, hello Beverly."

Beverly rolled her eyes a bit, "Thank you for joining me for dinner Will. I was talking to you for a couple minutes before I realized you weren't listening."

Will blushed more, starting to serve himself. "Sorry, was just thinking."

Beverly shook her head and started eating, having already served herself when Will was off in his own mind. She started talking idly about her day and about the upcoming ball, Will nodding and contributing occasionally, the back of his mind still elsewhere.

After dinner, Will went to his room and sat on the bed, fully dressed, and waited for the king.

When the king entered the room he looked to Will with an eyebrow raised, eyeing up his clothed form. "You are usually prepared for me when I arrive. Is there something amiss tonight?"

Will hesitated, shaking his head, "No, I mean yes, but no..." he sighed and stood, going over to Hannibal and kissed him. Hannibal kissed back, but then pulled away.

"Are you going to tell me what is on your mind?" He asked as Will started working on undressing him.

"I have the first of my fencing lessons with Abigail tonight..." Hannibal nodded for him to continue, "I was hoping that I could, ah, I could take care of you with my mouth tonight..." Will was blushing fiercely now, refusing to make eye contact with the king.

Hannibal let out a small chuckle, "Do you expect to take care of my needs in such a way every night now that you have fencing with Abigail? Expect that I would be satisfied?"

Will's eyes widened a little and he stuttered, looking to Hannibal, "My king, I only, I just--"

Hannibal shook his head, holding up a hand to quiet Will, before moving the hand up to cup his cheek, "I'll allow it, for tonight."

Will nodded and finished undressing Hannibal, leaning in to kiss him deeply as he stroked his length slowly. Hannibal kissed back, his hands on Will's hips. Soon Will broke the kiss and started kissing his way down his neck and chest, before getting down onto his knees.

Will leaned in and licked the tip of Hannibal's cock, looking up and locking eyes with the king as he started to wetly lick up and down the underside of his length. Hannibal smirked down to him as he tangled his fingers into Will's hair, making Will blush. Will kept his eyes on Hannibal's as he licked to the tip then took as much of his length into his mouth as he could, the wet heat making Hannibal groan softly as he felt the tip of his cock brush the back of Will's throat. Will started bobbing his head and sucking, his hands on Hannibal's hips.

"That's it, good boy."

Will blushed, the praise going straight to his cock, but kept bobbing and sucking on Hannibal's cock. His one hand dropped from the king's hip to fondle his balls, earning another groan from the man. Will closed his eyes and kept bobbing and sucking on his cock when he felt the hands in his hair tighten, suddenly Hannibal had forced the last of his length into his throat and held him there. Will gagged and immediately tried pushing off, his eyes watering. Hannibal groaned a bit again before letting Will pull back, hands still in his hair as Will coughed a bit and looked up to him with a tear going down his cheek.

"Mm, think you can still be good for me?"

Will quickly wiped the tear from his cheek as he hesitated but then nodded, not wanting to displease the king.

Hannibal smiled, "Open your mouth then..."

Will obeyed and Hannibal's cock was placed back in his mouth, his hands returning to his hair and Hannibal started to slowly thrust into Will's mouth. Will's hands went up to grip the king's hips but didn't push to stop him, Hannibal's grip in his hair keeping his head still as he sucked. Hannibal started to thrust faster and deeper into Will's mouth, hitting the back of his throat making Will gag but still Will didn't push away as his eyes watered again.

Hannibal kept up the rough treatment for a few minutes before pushing all the way in again, making Will push back in reflex as tears went down his cheeks. Hannibal held him down for a moment before letting him pull away completely, Will gasping for breath as Hannibal released on his face, covering his lips and cheeks with his white spent.

Will sat back on his knees and panted, looking up to Hannibal with half-lidded eyes as Hannibal pet his hair. "Beautiful," he muttered quietly to the man on his knees, making Will blush more.

Hannibal smiled and went over to the beside table to get the washcloth and handed it to Will, who took it and cleaned his face. "Thank you," Will said, throat feeling raw, and mentally damned himself for suggesting this over having sex. Somehow, he felt a limp would have been more discreet.


	12. Chapter 12

After the king left, Will sighed, going to the bathroom to clean his face off properly before returning to his room. He ignored his own stiffness in his pants as he laid on the bed, still having an hour before he had to collect Abigail from Freddie.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, wondering what Matthew was doing. He could write to him, but that seemed silly considering he would see him at the end of the week. Will sighed again, folding his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

Will had almost fallen asleep when he looked at the clock and realized it was ten minutes before he was to collect Abigail. Cursing, he jumped out of bed and quickly stripped, changing into his fencing uniform with ease. It was a little loose on him, but it would do.

With the helmet under one arm, he made his way down the corridors of the palace to Abigail's study. He knocked on the door and waited, listening for a response.

"Come in, Will!" Abigail called from inside. He opened the door with a smile, Abigail smiling back to him as Freddie glared at him.

"So I guess tonight starts your fencing lessons. Try not to hurt the princess, will you?" Freddie said frostily as she left the room. Will rolled his eyes as the door practically slammed shut behind her.

"Time to go get ready, Abigail." Will said, throat sore, as he grabbed their epees. 

She frowned, "Is everything okay, Will?" 

He sighed and nodded "Yes, I'm fine."

Abigail nodded, letting it go, and they made their way to her room, Will waiting outside of it as she changed. Soon she came out dressed and they made their way down to the great hall, servants looking to them in surprise as they walked past.

Will walked into the center of the large empty room with Abigail before turning to face her, holding out an epee for her to take. Abigail took it by the handle and held it up testing and looked to Will, who put his hands on her shoulders to correct her stance then stepped to stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

"First we'll learn defensive techniques. They will come more in handy than offensive techniques in the long run." Will said, putting his hand over hers to show her how to hold out her epee.

Will goes through the different techniques, explaining the purposes and differences between each of them. He shows her how to do each of them, then allows her to mimic him a few times, correcting her form each time. She frowns in determination, the corner of her lip upturned.

At some point he felt like someone was watching them, so looked up, seeing the king and Jack standing at the back of the hall, watching them. Will's eyes widened a bit but he quickly put his attention back to Abigail, knowing their time was limited and couldn't afford distraction.

Soon Will stepped away and faced Abigail, holding his epee offensively towards her. "Put on your mask now. I'm going to attack, I want you to defend yourself."

Abigail's eyes widened nervously but she nodded, picking her mask off the ground and put it on as Will did the same. Will then did a basic attack, a simple straight thrust, slowing his movement a bit to give Abigail time to react.

Abigail defended against it and froze afterwards, "Was that right?"

Will laughed and nodded, "Yes, good! Again." He praised, before doing another thrust which Abigail defended. "Again." Each time he struck a little faster, wanting her to respond quicker, which she didn't disappoint. "You're doing great Abigail, now remember not to get comfortable in one spot." With that he did a lunge, Abigail defending as she dodged. "Fantastic!"

Hannibal watched them as they continued, looking over to the clock noticing it was past the end of their session, before looking back to them.

Jack noticed as well, and looked to the king. "Shall we stop them, my king?"

"Let them have their fun, for now. Its not too late after all."

Jack nodded.

It was half past ten when Will noticed the time, stopping mid thrust, confusing Abigail. "Princess, I'm so sorry, it's much past time for this to end." He said, pulling his mask off, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat.

Abigail groaned and nodded, taking her own mask off. "I was having a lot of fun." She pouted and handed her epee to Will.

Will looked over to where the king and jack had been before only to see them leaving the room, before looking back to Abigail. "We'll continue tomorrow night, I promise Abigail."

She nodded, smiling and stretched, "I could use a bath." She said, laughing. 

Will chuckled and nodded in agreement, "Yes, I could too I think. I'll walk you to your room, princess." She smiled and nodded, walking with him down the corridors to her room then waved to him before disappearing into her room.

Will turned and walked back to his own room, gathering sleep clothes before going down to the bathroom, seeing the room was empty he started a bath. He stripped and got into the tub, sighing happily at the warmth. He let himself soak for ten minutes or so before starting to wash up, getting out when he was finished and dried off. He dressed and headed back to his room, going in and hanging his uniform over his deskchair before laying in bed for the night.


	13. Chapter 13

The weeks coming up to the Carnival ball came and went without deviation from routine. Every morning, Will ate breakfast with Beverly before finding some way to entertain himself for the four hours before he tutored Abigail. Then he had an hour before dinner with Beverly, afterwards he would always wait in his room for the king. Then he cleaned up and did Abigail's fencing lesson, before finally taking a bath and going to bed.

Except every Friday night after Abigail's tutoring session, he would go home to Matthew. Something he waited for all week. Something he treasured. Something that passed too fast, when he had to leave early Monday morning to be back in time for breakfast.

When the Friday of the Carnival ball came, however, Abigail's lessons were canceled for the day to help prepare for the celebration that night. Will was grateful, because that meant he could leave early that day to go get Matthew and bring him back to the palace. The plan was to dress when they returned, so Will made sure to plan for the travel time accordingly.

When they arrived to the palace, Matthew followed closely as Will lead them through the corridors, not wanting to get in the way of the rushing servants preparing for that night. They slip into Will's bedroom without event, Matthew looking around curiously after shutting the door behind himself. Will hadn't brought anything from home but his clothes and his books, so the room seemed almost barren of personality. It felt as if he didn't live in the room at all.

Will had taken their garment bags out of his walk in closet and laid them on the bed, taking the outfits out. Matthew came up behind him and held him from behind, kissing his shoulder. "How long do we have before the banquet part?" He asked playfully.

Will smiled and rolled his eyes, "Not enough time for what you're suggesting." He turned in Matthew's arms and wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him softly. "We'll have all the time in the world tonight after the ball."

Matthew nodded and smiled, kissing him again before pulling away. "Let's get dressed. I want to meet your friend, and the princess. And I want to know who that Freddie lady is too."

Will laughed and nodded as they both undressed and then dressed into their respective outfits, Matthew pulling his decorative full-face mask over his face. "What do you think, Mister Graham?" He asked playfully.

Will pulled his decorative half-face mask down over his eyes, his lips and chin exposed, and smiled "I think you look quite the character, Mister Brown." He teased back then kissed the lips of the mask, making Matthew chuckle before he stepped back, them both pushing their masks to sit on their heads at an angle.

Will looked at the clock and smiled, "Just in time, let's head down to the dining hall for the banquet." Matthew nodded and followed, taking Will's hand and lacing their fingers as they walked down the corridors.

When they got to the dining hall they both stopped, stunned. The hall that was usually scarcely filled was nearly bursting with guests. The tables were covered with food that even Will had never seen served before, with bottles of wine everywhere for guests to be served with. Colorful decorations hung from the walls and musicians played from a corner of the room.

"Will!"

He looked over and saw Beverly waving from their normal spot, with his spot across from her empty along with a spare seat. Will smiled gratefully and looked to Matthew, squeezing his hand, "This way," before leading through the crowded room.

They sat down and Beverly smiled across the table to them, "You must be Matthew, Will talks about you often."

"And you must be Beverly, his saving grace in this place." Matthew said playfully.

Will looked between them and then reached for a bottle of red wine, pouring some for himself and Matthew.

Matthew looked around the room curiously, before looking back to Beverly, "Do you have anyone joining you tonight? A suitor maybe?"

Beverly had been drinking some white wine and nearly choked on it, before laughing, "I've been a live-in tutor for princess Abigail since she was six. I'll probably stay that way until she marries, if she marries... I just make eyes at knights and noblemen and dance the night away at balls, then write them love notes that mean nothing." She said it with a grin before drinking more wine.

Matthew raised a brow at her playful tone, "I can't tell if you're content with that life or not, Lady Katz." He drank some of his own wine, humming in pleasure at the taste.

Beverly shrugged, "Its a life where I have everything I can ask for provided for me, who am I to complain?"

Matthew shook his head, "Everything but love."

Beverly smiled sadly and nodded, holding up her glass, "To love."

Matthew and Will both held their glasses up quietly before the three of them took a drink.

Will looked over the spread of food and sighed a bit, a little overwhelmed, "Shall we eat?" Matthew nodded and the three of them started serving themselves.

They all talked as they ate, enjoying each other's company. Matthew asked about who was who, Beverly answering when Will couldn't.

Soon enough dinner finished and the guests started making their way to the great hall for the dancing portion of the ball. Will took Matthew's hand in one hand and pulled his mask down with his free hand as they made their way down the corridor, Matthew doing the same.

When they got into the great hall they found it too fully decorated, with musicians playing in the distance. Will lead Matthew to the center of the room to dance, smiling to him. Matthew's mask might have been covering his face but not his eyes, his emerald eyes reflecting happiness back at him. They danced for what felt like hours, whispering and chuckling with each other, enjoying the night. Beverly eventually danced her way over near them, only knowing it was her because they had seen her mask earlier in the night.

It was nearing midnight when Matthew felt a tap on his shoulder, interrupting his and Will's dancing. They stopped and looked, a man with an ornate black half-mask like Will's and maroon eyes looked between them, "Matthew, may I cut in?"

Will froze, his mouth dropping open, realizing immediately it was the king. He dropped his arms from around Matthew, making the man's head whip to look at him with silent, hurt eyes.

Will looked sadly at Matthew for a moment before turning to the king, saying clear enough for Matthew to hear, "Of course, your highness."

The king's eyes gleamed as he looked between the two, taking Will's hand and starting to dance, holding him close.

Beverly had noticed Matthew standing there and excused herself from her dance partner, taking Matthew's shoulder and turning him to face her, starting to dance with him. "It's not worth it, Matthew. There's nothing either of you can do." She whispered to him quietly. He nodded silently, dancing with her to distract himself.

Will felt sick as he was held close to the king, knowing how hurt Matthew must feel. He whispered quietly, "You didn't have to do this, sire..."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Will. I simply wanted a dance. If I wanted to hurt him, we would have left the ball early to take care of my desires."

Will's eyes widen and he looks to the king in fear, shaking his head, "Please don't, I'll make it up to you another night, just not tonight please--"

Hannibal chuckles and tilts his head, looking to Will, "I am not some malevolent god. I will allow you your weekend with your husband. I simply wanted a dance." With that, as the second song they had danced to came to an end, the king parted from Will, "Do give Matthew my thanks," he says before walking away into the crowd.

Will immediately turns and almost slams into Matthew, who silently holds him tightly. Will looks into Matthew's eyes and can tell his eyes are wet with tears, "Its okay, do you want to leave...?"

Matthew shakes his head silently and loosens his hold on Will, returning them to a dancing pose, "I won't let him win. You're mine." He says softly, his voice breaking. Will's heart breaks but he nods, and they resume dancing.

Its almost one in the morning when the screams for a doctor ring out through the hall. The music stops immediately, and everyone stops dancing to form a circle in the center of the room. Will pushes through the crowd to the front, and on the ground he sees Lady Margot laying on the ground, face covered with sweat and looking dazed with fever, her full-face mask beside her head was specked with blood.

Will's eyes widen and he quickly pushed back through the crowd to Matthew, taking his hand and pulling him to the corridors leading back to Will's room.

"What happened back there?" Matthew asked.

"I'm not entirely sure but I don't want to be any closer to it than I already was."


	14. Chapter 14

Will took off his mask and tossed it onto the bed and started to undress, facing away from Matthew. Matthew frowned as he slowly took off his mask and placed it onto the nightstand, walking up behind Will and wrapped his arms around his husband.

"Get changed, we need to leave as soon as possible." Was all that Will said, not stopping undressing for a moment.

Matthew frowned more and turned Will to face him and made Will look at him, "What's going on?"

"I'm not a doctor, but Lady Margot was bad. There was blood on the inside of her mask. Either she's been poisoned or she's dying. Either way, I need to get you home." He cups Matthew's face in his hands, "I need to get you safe."

Matthew nodded and pulled away, starting to undress quickly, them both redressing into their normal clothes. "What should we do with these tacky things?"

Will sighs, "Leave them on the bed, the servants will figure them out." He takes Matthew's hand and starts leading them through the corridors.

At one point, a door opens and they nearly walk right into it, the King walking out alone. He looks to them curiously, "Not staying the night in the palace after all, gentlemen?"

Will hesitates, his hand on Matthew's tightening as he eyes Hannibal, "Your highness, may I speak freely?"

Looking amused, Hannibal nods, "You may."

"Did you poison Lady Margot?"

Hannibal looks amused still, "Silly boy, I wouldn't do that to the food."

Will hesitates then nods, "Then she's sick, and I need to get the one person in my life that matters out of this place. If you'll excuse us."

Hannibal nods and waves them off, and Will drags Matthew even faster than before down the steps and through the gates.

It wasn't until they were walking down the streets towards home that Will slowed down, Matthew pulling his hand from him and turning Will to face him. "You can't go back."

Will looked at him like he was crazy, "I have to go back, Matthew. I can't just arbitrarily decide to stop working for the royal family."

It was Matthew's turn to look at Will like HE was the crazy one, his hands on Will's shoulders, "Will! You said it yourself that the woman was sick! Who knows if it's contagious!"

Will shrugged Matthew's hands off and started towards home again, "We're not having this discussion, we're going home for the weekend and I'm returning Monday."

Matthew stood there looking after him for a moment before calling after him, "Is it because the king is there?"

Will stops and turns around slowly, confusion plain on his face.

Matthew looks at the ground, jealousy plain as day on his face, "We don't need his money. Leave it behind. Leave HIM behind."

Will walks back up to Matthew and cups his face with his trembling hands, "You know it's not that simple, you know I have an obligation to the princess, Matthew--"

"Matthew, what?" The green eyed man spits out, cupping Will's hands with his own shaking hands, his eyes wet with tears. "Seeing you in his arms tonight, I could hardly stand it, Will... I wanted to scream. I wanted to lash out and hurt him."

Will nodded and pressed their foreheads together, closing his eyes, tears going down his cheeks, "I know, I know... I'm so sorry... Let's go home, okay?"

Matthew nodded quietly, kissing Will's forehead and hugged him before pulling away, taking his hand to lead the way home. When they got there they changed into their sleepwear, exhausted, and went to bed.

Will woke up at close to noon the next morning, surprised at himself for having slept so late. He turned in the bed and snuggled into Matthew's chest, who wrapped his arms around him.

"Good morning, Mister Graham..." he said sleepily, Will apparently not being the only one who slept in that day. Will leaned up and kissed Matthew's chin, earning a chuckle from the man.

Will turned in the bed to face away from Matthew, who only pulled him in close, kissing his neck as his hands wandered under his shirt. Will moaned softly and pressed his ass back against Matthew's stiff cock, Matthew untying Will's sleep pants and pushing them down to his thighs. Will smiled and looked over his shoulder to Matthew, only for Matthew to capture his lips in a kiss as he shimmied his own sleep pants down.

Will kissed back as his hand reached over to the bedside table to grab the jar of oil and hands it to Matthew who slicks his cock and his fingers before passing it back. Will puts it back then whimpers as he feels a slicked finger slip into him, pushing in and out slowly a few times before adding a second finger, making sure to stroke his prostate as he fingered him.

"Ah, Matthew..."

Matthew simply kisses his neck and finishes preparing him before slipping his fingers out and then pushes his cock in slowly, making Will moan. Soon Matthew was fully inside Will and he let him adjust, kissing his neck and rubbing his hips before starting to thrust into him slowly, rolling his hips to grind in deeper, moaning into Will's neck as Will pressed back into every lazy thrust with a throaty moan.

They kept thrusting and pushing and grinding, Matthew's nails biting into Will's hips, until Will was panting, "Please, Matthew..."

Matthew's hand snaked around Will's cock without another word and started stroking him, and almost as quick as he started did Will release, shuddering in pleasure with a moan. Matthew pushed in two more times himself before moaning in release.

They laid there like that for a few moments before Will turned in Matthew's arms to face him and snuggled into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. "I love you, more than anything, Matthew."

Matthew smiled softly, rubbing Will's back and kissed his head, "I love you too."


	15. Chapter 15

Matthew spent the rest of the weekend begging Will not to go back. But when the sun started to come up Monday morning, Will left a kiss on his husband's forehead and got out of their bed, getting dressed for the day. He left without waking the man, like he did every week, but for some reason it felt sinister this time. As if waking him to say goodbye would have been kinder.

Will made his way to the palace silently as always and then to breakfast, where he saw Beverly's grim face when he sat across from her. "What's wrong?" He asked as he started serving himself.

"Lady Margot has the consumption." She said quietly, looking around to make sure no one was listening.

Will's eye's widened and he froze. "Is she... Is she still at the palace?"

Beverly nodded, looking down, pushing food around her plate. "East wing, it's been quarantined. The queen refuses to leave her side despite what the doctors have said."

Will swallows and nods, starting to serve himself again, numb. "What... what is everyone to do?"

Beverly looks at him, "Stay out of the east wing? There's no cure or vaccine for consumption."

Will nods and they both look down, going to eat their food. The east wing of the palace had most of the guest rooms, some studies and sitting rooms. Mostly unused rooms, so it only made sense to use that part of the palace for the quarantine. Thankfully, Abigail's study was in the west wing, like her room and Will's room.

"How long does it take to die?" He finally asked.

She looked at him as she was getting ready to leave, "Two years from infection usually, though if she's coughing up blood..."

Will left breakfast with a sinking feeling in his gut, walking through the halls staring at the ground.

"Will."

His eyes snapped up and he realized he was only a heartbeat from walking right into the king. Will blushed and looked away, stepping out of his way. "I'm sorry your highness, I was not paying attention."

Hannibal nodded, looking to him, "You seem pensive, is something on your mind?"

Will looked to Hannibal and frowned, "I heard Lady Margot has the consumption and the queen won't leave her side... Shouldn't you have a say in that?"

Hannibal raised a brow, "While I appreciate your concern, I hardly see how it is of concern to you Will."

Will nodded and bowed a bit, "I overstepped, I apologize my king. If you'll excuse me." Will hurried down the corridors before Hannibal could get another word in, not wanting to talk with the man anymore.

When he got to his room he went in and shut the door behind himself with a sigh of relief. He went and sat on the bed and laid back, his arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He had a little under four hours before Abigail's session that day, and he was already exhausted. A nap would do him good, he though to himself as he let his eyes slip shut.

He woke up again around half past eleven in the morning and stretched, groaning, before sitting up. It was perfect timing for Abigail's lesson, he thought to himself as he got up from the bed and made his way down the corridors.

When he gets to the study he knocks and waits.

"Come in, Will."

He enters, taking a seat in the far corner of the room as Beverly and Abigail finish their studies. 

Eventually Beverly sighed and closed her book, "We'll work on it again tomorrow, Abigail." She said before leaving the room, nodding to Will on her way out.

Will got up and went over to Abigail, sitting down with her, noticing a frown on her face. "What's wrong?"

"My mother's going to get sick. She's selfish."

Will frowned and looked away, knowing it wasn't his place to console nor contradict Abigail. "Let's get started where we left off yesterday, get your mind off of it?" Abigail sighed, frustrated, but nodded, opening her notebook.

When her four hours came to a close, Will closed his last book and stood, putting a hand on her shoulder reassuringly and squeezed lightly before walking away. "Be ready at 8pm for your fencing lesson tonight." He said before leaving the study.

After dinner he went to his room and began undressing, his door opening sooner than usual. He turned as the king entered and raised a brow, "You're early, my king."

The king waked over to him, "So I am," he said before kissing Will's lips, helping him undress. Once Will was naked they started working on the king's clothes, stripping down until they were both naked.

Hannibal broke the kiss and started licking and sucking on his neck hungerly as he pushed Will against a wall, making Will moan and squirm. He grabbed Will's ass and lifted him, Will wrapping his legs around Hannibal's hips and arms around his neck in reflex, moaning more as Hannibal grinded against him. 

Will was panting and holding on when he felt Hannibal's hard cock start to push in unprepared and his eyes widened, "W-wait!"

Hannibal bit his shoulder, making him whimper, before whispering in his ear "Be a good boy for me."

Will nodded a bit and gasped as Hannibal's cock forced its way inside him, clawing at his shoulders. Hannibal gave him a moment to adjust to the intrusion before starting to thrust into him, Will whimpering at the tight friction. The king groaned as he thrusted in particularly hard, making Will cry out, holding on tight.

Will held on and whimpered as Hannibal kept thrusting into him, breathing deeply to try to ignore the pain, his cock flaccid. The king thrusted harder as he got closer to climax, his grip on Will's hips bruising. With another bite to Will's neck he thrusts in hard and releases deep inside him.

Will whimpers, tears going down his cheeks, letting his legs down from Hannibal's hips to stand shakily as the king set him down. He wipes his face with the backs of his hands as Hannibal holds him, petting his hair.

Hannibal picks him up bridal style with little protest and takes him over to the bed, laying him down. Hannibal goes to leave when Will's hand grabs Hannibal's wrist, though he doesn't look at him. "Stay, please..."

The king's eyes soften and he nods, sitting on the edge of the bed, petting Will's hair. "Your fencing session with Abigail is in one hour... I can wake you for it if you want to rest for now."

Will looks up to him then nods, eyes slipping closed soon after. Hannibal sighs and considers not waking him, but knew that what trust Will had just placed in him was a fragile thing and he shouldn't test it.

After forty-five minutes, he woke Will and helped him clean up enough to dress in his fencing uniform. Will was grateful that the uniform was on the loose side, not wanting it brushing against anywhere sensitive.

As Will had dressed so had the king, and before the king left Will turned to him, "Why did you stay? You could have left me once I was asleep."

"Because you asked me to."

Will wasn't sure how to feel about that.


	16. Chapter 16

It took four more months before the consumption claimed Lady Margot.

It was the beginning of September when word spread of her passing through the palace. In hushed whispers, rumors that the queen had started to fall ill herself now followed afterwards. No one had seen the queen since the night of Carnival, having taken silent vigil next to Lady Margot in the quarantined east wing.

Will looked over to Abigail as she ate breakfast, the seat between her and the king empty as it had been for months. He frowned and looked back to Beverly, "Do you think the queen will pull through this?"

Beverly sighed and looked at Will, "You know the answer to that, Will."

After breakfast Will went to sit in the courtyard, staring up at the sky. He heard someone coming up from behind him and looked, noticing it was the king, and moved over on the stone bench he was sitting on to allow the other man to sit.

"I heard that the queen has fallen ill..." Will asks, watching the clouds.

"So she has. It seems her heart has betrayed her." The king replied idly, looking up as well. They sat there for some time, watching the clouds pass quietly, Will smiling softly.

"Abigail has come far in her fencing lessons at night, soon I won't have to hold back when practicing with her."

Hannibal nodded, "Good. I've noticed she's had more confidence in her attack techniques than before. Soon, she'll have you on your toes."

Will chuckled and nodded, smiling, "Its amazing the progress she's made, in everything really. She's been a pleasure to tutor."

"Five months have passed quickly."

Will nodded again, looking over to the king. There was a time when his hands would shake and his stomache would turn when they were intimate. Now... He almost thought of it with something close to affection, as much as it hurt his heart when he thought of how it hurt Matthew.

Hannibal stood and moved to stand in front of Will, taking Will's cheek in his hand and stroking his cheek with his thumb. Will's eyes widened slightly; aside from their dance at the Carnival ball, Will was not used to the king showing him affection where others could see them.

"I'll see you tonight, Will." The king said before taking his leave.

Will silently watched him go before sighing, looking back up to the sky with a frown. He eventually stood and made his way to Abigail's study. He knocked and waited.

"Come in, Will."

Abigail was finishing up with Beverly as usual as Will shut the door behind himself. He went over to the window and folded his arms, staring out it as he waited for them to finish. Soon he heard Abigail call his name and he looked over to her, realizing Beverly had left the room. Will picked up one of his books and sat with Abigail and they starter their lessons.

Dinner went by uneventfully, and his nightly visit from the king went by the same if not a bit more affectionate than usual. Will tried not to linger on that thought and what it could mean as he dressed for his fencing lesson with Abigail. He sighed as he left his room and made his way through the palace to her study to collect her.

He didn't have a chance to knock on the door when it opened, Freddie on her way out. "She's all yours."

Will frowned a little as she left and looked back to Abigail, who looked distressed. "Princess? Is something wrong?"

Abigail forced a smile and shook her head, walking over to Will. "No. Let's go." She said before leading the way to her bedroom, will waiting outside as she changed. She left her room and started towards the great hall, uncharacteristically quiet as they walked through the corridors.

When they made it to the center of the great hall she put her mask on and held her hand out for her epee, Will handing it over before putting his own mask on. Before Will could get ready, Abigail was on the attack, barely leaving him time to dodge and defend in his surprise.

"Abigail?" He questioned, but she remained silent. He frowned and took to defending against her attacks, his experience and skill allowing him to outmaneuver her with ease but that didn't make it any less concerning.

After almost a half hour of attacking he heard her growl before she did a particularly sloppy thrust, obvious more emotion than skill going into the move. With that Will disarmed her and held the tip of his epee to the chin of her mask, making Abigail freeze. They stood like that for a few moments before he lowered his epee, allowing Abigail to bend down to go get hers from where it lay on the ground.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on or are you just going to attack me again?" Will questioned softly.

Abigail huffed and tore off her mask, staring at Will. He hesitated but took his off as well, looking back to her.

"Freddie says my father is letting my mother die so you can take her place." She finally blurts out, her eyes boring into Will's.

Will's eyes widened and he laughed at the absurdity of the statement, "Abigail, I'm already married."

Abigail pursed her lips and looked down at the ground.

Will walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Abigail, I'm happily married to Matthew. Your mother may pass away, but even if she does I can't get married to a second person. Your father would have to marry someone else if he chose to do so."

Abigail nodded and looked up to Will, "Even if you did, I wouldn't hate you, I just... I don't know." She sighed.

Will nodded and squeezed her shoulder, "While I'm glad you wouldn't hate me, it's still something you don't gave to worry about."

Abigail looked up to him and smiled slightly, "Yeah, you're right."

"Now, let's wrap up for tonight okay?"

Will had no idea how wrong he was.


	17. Chapter 17

A year passed by slowly. Fall, winter, spring, summer all slipping by like whispers.

There were more balls-- for Christmas, for the new year, for Abigail's 15th birthday, for Carnival again. Each ball, Matthew would accompany Will as his guest, both in new dress clothes that Will had asked to be made for them. They would laugh and smile and dance, until the king would ask for his dance. Afterwards, they would dance together quietly, holding each other close.

When Will heard of the queen's passing over dinner from Beverly, he was both surprised it had taken so long and surprised the time had gone by so fast.

Will went to his room after dinner and started undressing, as the usual of their routine. He laid back on his bed as he waited for the king, sighing.

Soon enough he heard the door open and the king step into the room, closing the door behind himself. Will could hear his clothes dropping to the floor, then felt the weight of the man climbing onto the bed with him, kissing his neck.

"Hello, Will." He whispered, hands caressing down his sides. Will shivered and ran his fingers through the king's hair.

"Hello, my king." He whispered back. Hannibal leaned up to capture Will's lips with his own, grinding his hips down to Will's. Will moaned into the kiss and moved his hands to run down Hannibal's back.

Hannibal spread Will's legs and grabbed the jar of oil off the bedside table and slicked his fingers and cock before putting it back, slipping a finger into Will earning a whine in response. He moved it in and out a few times before slipping in a second finger, repeating the process before adding a third. Will was whimpering and panting slightly. 

"Tell me what you want."

Will blushed furiously and looked to Hannibal, never being one for dirty talk. He swallowed dryly, "I want you inside of me..."

Hannibal smiled with a brow raised, continuing to tease Will by stroking his prostate, making him moan.

"Ah, please, my king, please I want your cock inside of me..." Will said, squirming beneath the other man. 

Hannibal chuckled and nodded as he pulled his fingers away, "Good boy." He started to push his cock inside of Will, both of them groaning slightly.

When Hannibal was fully seated inside of Will he stilled for a moment before starting to thrust, making Will moan. Will's hands ran up Hannibal's back and held on tight, rocking his hips back to meet Hannibal's thrusts. Hannibal dipped his head to kiss and nip Will's neck, hands sliding up and down the smaller man's sides beneath him.

Will moaned and looked up to the king, leaning up to kiss him, Hannibal meeting him halfway and deepening the kiss as he thrusted in faster, pushing Will's knees to his chest to get deeper. Will moaned into the kiss and held on tight, nails scratching the king's back lightly. He broke the kiss and tilted his head back as Hannibal thrusted into him, moaning and panting, so close to the edge as each of Hannibal's thrusts brushed against his prostate.

"My king, ah, please...!"

Hannibal gripped his knees tightly and thrusted harder, making sure to hit the sensitive spot inside of Will with every thrust. Soon Will moaned out loudly as his orgasm overwhelmed him, making a mess on his stomache. Hannibal thrusted a few more times before letting his own orgasm take over, his hips stilling as he released inside of Will.

Will held on and kissed Hannibal softly as the man pulled out, taking the washcloth on the bedside table to wipe Will clean. He laid down beside the smaller man, who turned on his side to face Hannibal, having gotten used to the king lingering after their activities these past few months.

Hannibal was looking up at the ceiling silently, looking like he wanted to say something. Will reached over and brushed some of Hannibal's fringe from his face, eyeing the man curiously.

"Is something the matter, my king?"

Hannibal looked over to Will for a moment before looking back towards the ceiling. "I'm sure you've heard that Alana passed Friday night while you were away."

Will nodded, "I heard over dinner that she passed, though not when... I'm sorry for your loss, my king."

Hannibal shook his head, seeming unfazed. "The loss is Abigail's, who seems to be holding up well enough for now. I feel no loss for the woman I was arranged to marry. We did our duties towards each other. She provided me an heir, I provided her with safety and stability, we provided each other companionship. It was never love."

Will nodded, a sinking feeling gathering in his stomache that he couldn't yet place. "Then, why are you so lost in thought?"

Hannibal looked to Will again, silently, before leaning in and kissing him on the lips softly, whispering to him "I want to marry you, Will."

Will froze for a moment before he gently pushed Hannibal away, "My king, I can't, I'm already married--"

Hannibal wrapped his arms around Will's waist and pulled him close again, "There is annulment," he kissed Will's shoulder, "divorce," he kissed Will's neck, "becoming a widower," he kissed his lips chastely.

Will's eyes widened and shook his head, pushing away again with more force this time, trying to pull out of Hannibal's arms who only held him there, "Please, please don't do this, please don't ask this of me..." he begged, his voice breaking as his eyes watered. "You're the king, you could have anyone...!"

"I can, and I want you, Will." He said, a hand going up to brush away the tears that fell.

"Please, I've already hurt Matthew so much already, please don't make me... Make me shame him with a divorce or an annulment."

Hannibal kissed Will's forehead, "There is always the third option,"

Widower.

Will frantically shook his head, sobbing at the thought, his hands shaking as he reached up and cupped Hannibal's face, "No, no please, please don't hurt him, please, I couldn't live with myself--"

Hannibal nodded and pulled the shaking, sobbing man close again, letting Will burry his face into the king's chest. "Alive, then... I will give you the rest of the week to make up your mind between divorce and annulment, and the weekend to break the news to him. I expect the paperwork to be handled by the end of the month. If it is not, I will see to it that things are settled quietly."

Will nodded, sobbing harder into Hannibal's chest by the end. The king held him and rubbed his back with one hand while petting his hair with the other, wanting to soothe the man despite his cruelty.

When Will finally calmed he pulled away, sitting up on the bed and looking to the ornate clock in the room, seeing he had thirty minutes before his session with Abigail. His whole body felt weak and tired as he stood, the crying having taken a lot out of him. He dressed in the uniform quietly, the king getting out of bed and dressing as well.

Before the king left, Will turned to look at him, asking just loud enough that the king almost didn't hear him, "Can we hold off on telling Abigail for now? Please?"

Hannibal looked back at Will, the brunette's his eyes and cheeks red from crying, and nodded. "Of course. You may tell her when you are ready. Goodnight, Will." He turned and left.

Will ran a hand through his hair and let out a shaky sigh before grabbing his mask and the epees, making his way down the corridors slowly to Abigail's study. Several servants he passed eyed his distraught state curiously, but he did not notice them.

He got to Abigail's study with ten minutes to spare but knocked anyway, not caring if he interrupted Freddie or not.

Soon Freddie opened the door, "Will, it's still my--" she stopped as she looked him over, before smirking. "You look fantastic, Graham."

Will rolled his eyes, looking away, "And you're a delight to the eyes yourself, Freddie. I came to collect the princess."

Freddie snorted but stepped out of the way, "Abigail, we'll end early tonight. Will is here looking like someone shot his dog in front of him, I don't have the heart to turn him away." She said sickeningly sweet, Will rolling his eyes again.

"Will? What's wrong?" Abigail asked as she came to the door, seeing his red sore eyes her own eyes widened, "Have you been crying? What happened?"

Will shook his head and schooled a smile on his face, "I rather not talk about it if that's okay with you, princess. Let's go get you changed."

She nodded, concern dripping from her features, then followed Will to her room. He waited outside as she changed, then they made their way to the great hall. He handed her one of the epee and they put on their masks, starting to practice. Will's form was sloppy at best, distracted by thoughts of what he had to do the upcoming weekend.

At the end of the session, Abigail handed her epee back to Will and took her mask off, frowning as Will silently lead her back to her room. Before she went in, she turned back to him, "Will--"

"Goodnight, princess." He said with another forced smile before leaving.

Abigail sighed and went into her room, frowning as she undressed and started the tub in her on-suite bathroom. Whatever it was that was bothering Will, he didn't want to burden her with it.

Will made it back to his room and undressed, hanging his uniform over the desk chair and laid on his bed. He would take a bath in the morning before breakfast, tonight he just wanted to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Will stood at the front door of his and Matthew's home, his hand hovering over the knob, and time seemed to stand still. He could barely breathe. After standing there frozen for what felt like hours, but was probably just a handful of minutes, Will opened the door and stepped inside.

"Welcome home!" Matthew called from their kitchen, the smell of food in the air.

Will nodded, not trusting his voice not to break if he spoke. He walked over to the man and hugged him from behind, Matthew looking back over his shoulder with a frown to Will.

"Will, you're quiet, what's wrong?"

"Let's leave, Matthew."

Matthew was taken by surprise at that, turning to face Will, "What? What are you talking about, Will?"

Will looked at him and held him close, "Tonight. Let's leave. Take all the money we can and leave Italy. Go anywhere, I don't care where."

Matthew frowned and cupped Will's cheek, "Did something happen? What's going on? What's gotten into you?"

"The queen is dead, Matthew."

Matthew's emerald eyes clouded with confusion as he searched Will's face for some sort of explanation, "Okay...? What does that have to do with us leaving Italy?"

Will swallowed before saying, "The king wants... Wants to marry me."

Matthew's eyes widen and he froze, his grip on Will's arms getting tight. "You can't. You can't marry him. You're already married to me."

Will's eyes were watering as he winced at Matthew's grip, "Matthew, you're hurting me..."

Matthew quickly let go and rubbed his mouth with one hand, his other hand on his hip, "So what, he wants us to get divorced?" He spits out the last word with venom.

"Or an annulment," Will whispered, to which Matthew barked out a laugh.

"An annulment? An annulment? What are you going to tell the court, that, that we never consumated our nine year marriage? Or that I pressured you under false pretenses?" He laughed bitterly again. "This is just hilarious."

Will shook his head, tears going down his cheeks as he reached out to Matthew, "He'll kill you if we don't and we stay. He said he would. He's the king, he could make it look unconnected to him."

Matthew pushed Will away from him "Don't touch me! This is what you've wanted, this whole time, isn't it?"

Will stumbled back, bumping back into the table that had already been set for dinner, looking at Matthew with hurt clear in his face, "Matthew, no, I never wanted any of this!"

Matthew rubbed his face with both hands as he turned away from Will, "You know what, fine. Fine." He turns back to Will, his face heartbroken but resigned, "He wins. I give up. I'll file for the divorce Monday morning."

Will was sobbing at this point, shaking his head. "No, let's just go--"

"Go where, Will?! Where are we supposed to go?" Matthew shouted, his own eyes watering, "Be realistic, Will, where could we go that would be safe? We'd be running the rest of our lives."

Will's lip trembled and he looked down, hands balled into fists with white knuckles. "I... Okay..."

Matthew turned away from him and let out a shaky sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Go back to the palace." Will looked up to him and took a step towards him. "Don't. Don't come back."

Will let out a sob but nodded, "Okay." He made his way to the door and put his hand on the knob, turning to look back at Matthew who was still facing away from him. "Can I... Can I have one last kiss, please?" He said softly, but the way Matthew's shoulder's tensed he knew he heard him.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes before Matthew turned to him, tears going down his face and Will's heart broke for what felt like the hundredth time. Matthew walked over to Will, taking his face in his hands and kissed him on his lips softly. Will kissed back, gripping the front of Matthew's shirt, wishing Matthew would never pull away. But eventually he did, his thumbs wiping at the tears falling from Will's eyes.

"Goodbye, Mister Graham."

"Goodbye, Matthew." Will choked out before turning and leaving, shutting the door behind him. He stood there numbly for ten minutes, trying to regain his composure. From the open window, he could hear what was likely the dishes from the set kitchen table being shoved to the floor and shattering, followed by sobbing.

His heart couldn't take anymore, so he left.


	19. Chapter 19

Beverly watched him sit down for breakfast on Saturday morning with a shocked expression, "Will? What are you doing here on a Saturday? And you look awful, what happened?"

Will started serving himself breakfast, his eyes red and sore from having cried himself to sleep. "I'm getting a divorce." He mumbled out, Beverly barely hearing him over the chatter in the room.

Beverly's mouth dropped open and she stared at him, "You're kidding, right? Not you and Matthew, he loves you so much--"

"Beverly, please!" He says slamming his hand on the table. The people sitting near them got quiet for a moment before going back to their conversations.

"I want to talk to you privately after breakfast, Will. I want to know what's going on. Okay?" She said quietly.

Will nodded and starting to eat, not having an appetite but his stomache was aching from not having eaten since the morning before. When they finished eating, Beverly followed Will to his room and she closed the door behind herself.

"So let it out, what happened?"

Will sat on the bed and sighed, Beverly sitting across from him. Will told her about the king's ultimatum on Monday night, about his internal conflict the entire week, about telling Matthew the night before and his response.

Beverly reached out and held Will's hand. "So that's it then, huh?"

Will looked up to her, "You say that like I get a say in this. He'll kill Matthew if we try refusing. And if we run..." he huffs, "Matthew didn't even want to humor the idea of running."

Beverly nodded and squeezed his hand. "I have to go, I usually go into the city on Saturdays for the opera... Why don't you come with me? Get your mind off of things? Drink some wine with me in the box seats." She suggested, a small smile on her face.

Will forced a smile and shook his head, pulling his hand back. "I'll be okay. Go, have a good time."

Beverly nodded and stood, smoothing her dress before going to leave, turning back to look at him as she was halfway out the door, "If you need to talk, just come to my room okay?"

Will smiled slightly, more sincerely, and nodded. "Okay."

With that Beverly left. Will flopped back onto his bed, sighing heavily. He had almost drifted off when he heard his door open, opening his eyes groggily and pushing himself up on his elbows. The last thing he expected was to see the king standing in the doorway.

"Your highness," he said, pushing himself to sit up.

"Will. I see you're back at the palace earlier than expected." He stepped into the room, shutting the door behind himself, "I take it that your weekend home did not go smoothly?"

"Smoothly?" Will said lowly, running a hand through his hair, "No. No, it didn't go smoothly your highness." He started, trying to keep his tone reigned in. "I broke my husband's heart, I'm getting a divorce... All because of you."

Hannibal walked over to Will, taking his chin and tilting his face to look up to him, "You've been happy with me, Will. And as the prince consort, you will be happy again. In time, this pain will be a memory."

Will remained silent with gleaming eyes as he looked up to the king, who leaned down to kiss his lips softly. Will closed his eyes, tears going down his cheeks, and he kissed back.

The king pulled back, brushing the tears from Will's cheeks, and took his left hand in his hands. "I'm not asking you to throw away your ring, Will, but I do expect come Monday morning you won't wear it anymore. You could stop sooner than that if you'd like, but no later than Monday."

Will opened his eyes, looking down to his ring, and nodded numbly. "I don't... I don't have anywhere to keep it." He said quietly.

Hannibal nodded, "I will get you a jewelry box then. Nothing feminine, I promise, but something suiting to the stature you'll hold soon." He looked around the room, "When you are announced, you will move to my room, Will. I would have suggested that you start preparing, but it seems you don't have many if any personal affects."

Will chuckled bitterly, shaking his head, "I still went home every weekend, so why bother bringing anything... And he told me to leave before I could take anything."

Hannibal looked to him sadly and nodded, "If there's anything you desire, I insist you tell me what it is."

Will nodded, "I'd like some time to myself for now, your highness."

"Hannibal. Please call me Hannibal for now on when we are together. No more titles between us when we are alone."

Will nodded, "Okay, Hannibal."

With that, the king left, closing the door behind him. Will sighed and laid back on the bed, letting himself fall to sleep.

Will woke up to knocking on his door hours later, looking at the clock across the room he could tell it was half past nine at night. Will stood and answered the door and Beverly walked in with a bottle of what looked like a golden liquid in a rectangle bottle in one hand with two glasses in the other hand.

"How was the opera?" Will asked, shutting the door behind her as she toed off her shoes and sat on his bed, curling her legs under her.

"Eh, it was okay. I've seen this particular show before. It wasn't anything special." She held out a glass to Will, who sat on the bed with her and took it.

"I made sure to buy something worth drinking tonight. They say it's strong, the Americans and Irish love it, it's called Whiskey."

Will raised a brow as she poured two fingers of the drink into each of their glasses, "Whiskey, huh?" He took a small testing drink, blinking in surprise at the burning warmth of the liquid. "Oh, that's different."

"Yeah?" Beverly takes a drink and laughs, "Oh wow, you weren't kidding."

Will took a drink again, it going down easier this time now that he knew what to expect. "I think I like it, actually."

Beverly nodded, drinking some more of her own drink as well. They both quietly finished their glasses and Beverly poured them new ones, Will laughing a little.

"So how do we know when to stop drinking this stuff?" Will asked, swirling his drink in his glass before taking a drink from it.

Beverly shrugged a little and drank from her glass before answering, "The shop keep says we'll feel it after three or four glasses."

Will raised a brow, "So because I'm getting a divorce I should have five, then?" He drank the rest of his glass and held it out to be refilled, which Beverly obliged.

Beverly laughed and nodded, "That sounds good to me, Will." She sighed. "I was always envious of you being married, especially to a man who was as understanding as Matthew." She finished her glass and poured herself a third glass, not wanting to fall behind.

Will nodded as he drank from his glass, leaning back propping himself up with his free arm. "Thanks I guess." He finished his glass and Beverly poured him a fourth quietly.

Will sighed and looked at the ceiling, his cheeks dusted with blush from the whiskey.

Beverly looked to him, "When are you going to tell Abigail?" She asked, sipping her drink.

Will drank a large gulp at that, wincing a little as it burned, and looked to her, "Monday maybe? I'm not even officially divorced yet, but, I won't be wearing my ring starting Monday... She's bound to notice."

Beverly nodded, "Good call. The sooner the better."

Will sighed, nursing his fourth glass slower than the earlier glasses, his head feeling foggy.

They both finished their glasses and Will held his glass out as Beverly stood wobblily. "One more glass?" He asked looking to her and she laughed.

"Sure, but you still have to walk me to my room." She answered as she poured him three fingers by accident. "Whoops."

Will laughed and started drinking as she tried slipping her shoes back on, giving up after three tries and picked them up in one hand. He quickly finished his drink and looked to the half empty bottle, his head foggy and world tilting slightly. He realized he was more intoxicated than he had been in years, but not enough to get sick thankfully.

"You can keep this stuff, I prefer white wine. But it was nice." Beverly mumbled as she put her glass down on the table, her cheeks flush from the alcohol like Will's was. Will looked at the clock and saw it was almost one in the morning.

He turned to Beverly and held out his arm, she smiled and put her hand in the crook of his elbow and they made their way down the corridors to her room, giggling quietly to themselves when one of them would trip over the other's feet.

When they got to her room, Will turned her to face him and hugged her tightly, "Thanks Beverly, you're a good friend."

She hugged back just as tightly before going into the room, "Night, Will." He heard as the door clicked shut.

He turned and made his way down the corridors back to his room, halfway there he sees the door to Hannibal's study was open slightly and out of drunken curiosity he knocked on the door, looking into the room as he pushed the door open slightly.

Hannibal was sitting at his desk drawing something when he looked up to Will curiously, "Hello, Will. You're wandering the palace late this evening."

Will nodded and stepped into the room and sits a in one of the chairs across from the king, "I was walking Lady Beverly back to her room, she joined me in my room for some drinks after she came back from the opera."

Hannibal raised a brow, putting his charcoal down and folding his hands, his tone politely even, "You two had drinks together in your room..." he looked over to the clock on the other side of the room, "Until past one in the morning?"

Will heard what Hannibal wasn't saying and groaned rubbing his face, "Hannibal, that's all we were doing, I didn't have sex with Beverly. I wouldn't do that."

Hannibal stood and walked over to Will, "Wouldn't do that because she's your friend or because you belong to me now?"

"Both?" Will said as he looked up to him with disbelief that they were having this conversation. "Hannibal, are you jealous?"

Hannibal scoffed softly, helping Will out of the chair. "I believe its time for you to go to bed, Will."

Will rolled his eyes, "Yeah, okay, good night Hannibal." Will said as he left the room, Hannibal shutting the door closed behind him. He huffed but wandered back through the corridors to his room, shutting the door and undressing before climbing into bed naked and falling immediately to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

It felt like someone had hit split Will's head open when he woke up the next morning. Groaning, he covered his eyes with his arm and flipped over in bed so the window was to his back, the sunlight of a new day pouring in.

Will laid in bed for a few minutes before looking over to the clock in his room, seeing it was already fifteen minutes past eight and Beverly would have been at breakfast already. For a moment he debated not eating again, but then his stomache protested loudly over the fact that he hadn't eaten the night before. Idly he thought to himself how it was a wonder he hadn't ended up more drunk than he had.

With that thought, however, the memory of interrupting the king in his study the night before came to mind. Will rubbed his face as he blushed in embarrassment, sitting up in bed. Of course he made a fool of himself in front of the king.

Will pulled the covers off himself and got out of bed, going over to his closet and started to dress for the day. He went to the mirror in his room and ran his fingers through his curly, untamed hair before leaving the room and making his way down to breakfast.

He sat down in his usual spot across from Beverly and when she looked at him she grinned, "I'd say let's do that again sometime, but you look like you want to die."

Will did a mock laugh as he poured himself water from a pitcher and drank it, "I would have been fine if I had ate last night." Will started to serve himself breakfast while Beverly watched him with a smile, happy to see her friend in better spirits.

"No tutoring lessons today, Will. You should join me in going to town later." She said cheerfully.

Will thought about it for a brief moment before shaking his head, sighing, "I don't want to take the chance that I'll run into Matthew somehow."

Beverly's smile faltered and she nodded, "Yeah, okay, another time then." They finished eating in solemn silence.

Will made his way out to the courtyard and saw Abigail, laying in the grass under a tree with a blanket beneath her, reading a book. Will took his left hand in his right and fussed with his ring, looking down, before looking back up to her and going over. "Hello, princess. Reading anything good?"

Abigail shut the book and sighed, shaking her head, "Its terribly boring if I'm being honest. Lay with me?" She asked, patting the blanket beneath her.

Will chuckled and sat on the blanket with his knees up, folding his arms on top and laid his head down. "It's a beautiful day, you can almost forget that fall is around the corner."

Abigail nodded and shut her book, laying it on her stomache and folded her hands over it. "Mother finally passed away last week but I hadn't seen her in over a year and a half..." she looked to Will, "Is it wrong that I don't feel anything?"

Will raised a brow, "Nothing at all? Not that its wrong if you don't."

Abigail shook her head a little, looking at the sky through the tree's canopy. "It feels like I lost her a long time ago. I cried, I was angry, I prayed... But she left me when Margot fell ill that night of Carnival."

Will nodded and looked up at the sky off in the distance, brushing his ring with the thumb of that hand as he debated telling her. They were quiet for a long while, before Will cleared his throat a bit, speaking as evenly as he could despite his nerves, "Matthew and I are getting divorced."

Abigail pursed her lips and sat up, her book falling into her lap as her hands went behind her to prop her up, eyeing Will up, "Since when?"

"We spoke Friday night, he's getting the paperwork started tomorrow." Will said, refusing to turn his head and look at the girl.

"Why?" She demanded, "You two always looked happy at the balls. So, why?"

Will sighed, "You know why, Abigail, you're a smart girl." He said softly.

Abigail frowned more, "I want to hear you say it."

Will ran a hand through his hair, "Because your father told me to do it. So he can marry me."

Abigail got up and left without another word, leaving her book the blanket and Will behind.

Will sighed and laid back on the blanket, staring up into the sky through the canopy, "That went great." He mumbled to himself. He laid there on the blanket for a while watching the clouds roll lazily by, before getting up. He picked up her book then shook out the blanket before folding it, bringing it inside with him.

Once inside the palace he made sure to leave the book on a window ledge where it could be easily found, then handed the blanket off to a servant before making his way down the corridors to his room.

At the halfway point, where he would have passed the King's study, he noticed the door was cracked open and could hear Abigail's angry shouting from within. He walked up to the door and listened hesitantly for a moment.

"--can't just destroy their marriage like this!"

He hears Hannibal's voice, a low undiscernible mumbled response.

"Was mother even cold when you asked him? Is she even burried yet?"

Hannibal's rumbling response left much to the imagination once again.

"What about me, don't I get a say in this?"

Will stepped away and quickly started back on his journey to his room. Abigail was angry, yes, but at least it didn't seem to be directed at Will. He went into his room and laid on the bed with a heaving sigh.

If Matthew filed the paperwork tomorrow then the divorce would be ready for him to sign two Mondays from now. He would have to see Matthew to do that... And then they would very likely never see each other again.

Will blinked back tears that threatened to fall, huffing in frustration at how often he found himself crying lately.


	21. Chapter 21

Two weeks went by quickly, and that morning around eleven am a servant came to Will's room and told him someone had come to speak to him.

Will quickly made his way to the sitting room that the guest was brought to, his heart racing, but visibly deflated when he realized that Matthew was not there. In his place was what Will assumed was the lawyer for their divorce. The man stood from his seat and held out his hand to shake Will's, which will complied.

"I take it Matthew couldn't attend?" Will said, still hoping that maybe Matthew had stepped out of the room for a moment or something similar.

The man shook his head as he took two letter envelopes out of his coat breast pocket. "Mister Brown had other things to attend to today, Mister Graham. He sends his regrets." The man puts the smaller envelope on the table beside him then opens the larger envelope, taking the divorce paperwork out and unfolded it onto the table. He reaches into his breast pocket again and pulls out a pen, holding it out to Will. "All that's left to do is sign, sir."

Will nods and takes the pen, hesitating as the pen hovered over the first of three blank lines that needed his signature. The man cleared his throat after a moment, snapping Will out of it and he signed on the lines quickly before handing the pen back to the man.

"So... That's it?" Will looked to the man, feeling a little lost.

"That's it, Mister Graham." He folded the document and put it back in the envelope, then took the smaller envelope from the table and handed it to Will. "Mister Brown asked me to give this letter to you before I left, sir, now if you'll excuse me." The man walked out of the room, leaving the door open behind him.

Will looked at the envelope, turning it over a few times before opening it and taking the letter out, unfolding it, 

Will,

It would have been our tenth anniversary in the summer. I wonder sometimes what we would have done to celebrate, but that doesn't really matter anymore. In the envelope you'll find one of the two photographs we have together. Naturally, I intend to keep the other. I had chastised you back then on our fifth anniversary that we were spending a small fortune on something so foolish as getting our photograph taken, but in hindsight I'm glad for every penny spent that day. We were younger and full of love and ignorant to how everything would end. What I wouldn't pay for us to be those men again.

Matthew.

Will looked in the envelope with tears in his eyes and took out the sepia toned photograph with a trembling hand, staring at Matthew's face in the picture as he stood behind Will, who was sitting in a chair, Matthews hands on Will's shoulder's.

Will put the photograph back in the envelope and folded the letter back up, gently tucking it in as well. He took a deep breath and let out the shaky sigh, wiping his eyes before leaving the room and making his way down the corridors to his room again. Once inside he went to his large jewelry box and opened it, his ring sitting in the center of the top layer of the box. He placed the letter inside the bottom layer and closed it, standing there with his hands on the wood's surface for a moment before turning away to see what time it was.

Will sighed and rubbed his face. He was late for Abigail's tutoring session, somehow. He heard a knock on his door and when he opened it, the princess was standing there looking concerned. "Will? Did you forget today was Monday?"

He shook his head as she stepped back and he stepped out of his room, schooling his expression to a half-smile. "No, I just lost track of time, I apologize princess."

Abigail nodded and turned, leading the way to her study. "You haven't been wearing your ring these past two weeks. Is it really over."

Will nodded as he followed, a respectful distance behind her, "As of this morning, I'm once again a single man it seems. Funny what a few signatures can do."

Abigail sighed, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry, Will." She opened the door to her study and went inside, Will following and shut the door behind them.

They sat and started her lessons, though Will was distracted at best.

During dinner, Will spent more time pushing his food around his plate than he did eating, Beverly criticizing him for not eating. He tried forcing the food down, but eventually left his plate, still half-full, to be taken care of.

Will entered his room and undressed as usual before laying on the bed on his side, his back facing the door. When Hannibal entered, he looked over to Will with concern.

"Will, is everything alright?" Hannibal asked, undressing down to his pants but hesitated at taking them off. Instead he sat on the edge of the bed beside Will, a hand going to rest on the brunette's shoulder.

"It's done. The divorce is completed." Will responded without turning to face Hannibal.

Hannibal nodded quietly and leaned down, kissing Will's head right above his ear. "I see."

"I imagine you'd like to celebrate?" Will said.

Hannibal looked at the man for a moment before laying behind him on the bed, feeling Will's body tense. The king wrapped his arm around Will's waist and pulled him close, kissing Will's shoulder tenderly.

"What are you doing?" Will asked, his voice low.

Hannibal kissed the brunette on the head again and sighed, "I only want to hold you tonight, Will. No games, no tricks, no surprises."

Will nodded a bit, still tense, and laid there with him in silence for almost an hour before Hannibal felt the man start to tremble, the soft sounds of choked sobs coming from brunette. Hannibal closed his eyes sadly and held Will as he slowly started to cry outright.

When Will's tears finally stopped, he wiped his face with his hands, his body relaxed with exhaustion.

"Let Freddie have her full time tonight with Abigail... You're in no state for fencing practice."

Will nodded, turning in the King's arms to face him, "Stay with me tonight..?" He asked softly.

Hannibal nodded, "Go to sleep, Will."

Will closed his eyes and drifted off as Hannibal sighed, rubbing circles into his back.


	22. Chapter 22

The days were going by quicker than ever.

Before Will knew it, what few personal affects he had were moved to the king's bedroom. His clothes had been replaced with those fitting for a prince, the fabrics softer and more elegant than anything Will had ever worn before. He no longer sat with Beverly in the dining hall but in the seat between Hannibal's and Abigail, waiting to be served every meal instead of helping himself. No longer did the king feel to act on his affections every weeknight after dinner, though Will did keep the man satisfied most nights. His long hair had been cut and tamed, though occasionally a lock or two fell forward onto his brow.

He still tutored Abigail every weekday between noon to four. And he still taught her fencing after Freddie's lessons at night.

Will was married, presented and announced the prince consort publicly on a cold December morning. Will was shocked at the turnout of people for the event at the palace steps, but he kept his face indifferent. His eyes scanned the crowd full of faces for a few moments, sighing softly in disappointment when he couldn't find the emerald eyes he was searching for.

The ball in celebration that night was pleasant, Will dancing most of the night with Hannibal with a small smile on his face. When Hannibal left to dance with Abigail, he cut in on Beverly's dance, to which she profusely thanked him for-- something about the man's breath smelling like eggs, making Will laugh heartily for the first time since they drank together in September.

At the end of the night, Will walked Beverly to her room before going to the king's bedroom.

Hannibal looked up to Will as he undressed, smiling to Will; Will smiled softly back and started to undress. When they were both naked, Will closed the distance between them and kissed him deeply, wrapping his arms around his neck.

After the night that the divorce was finalized, Will had given into making the best of what he had with the king. There was no reason not to. The king was kind and loving to him, and gave him everything he had never dared to dream for.

He would always have guilt and remorse, locked deep away in his chest. Some mornings, he would reread the letter. Stare longingly at the picture. Take his old ring out of the jewelry box and put it on his finger, the silver band paling when compared to the diamond encrusted gold band he wore now.

The king knew he would do these things, having walked in and silently watched him one morning before leaving. Whatever it was the man had came to the room for, he had either forgotten or decided it unimportant.

On Saturdays, Will started going out to the town with Beverly. They would leave early in the day to walk through town while talking, royal guards following a polite distance behind them. When it came time for dinner they would indulge in restaurants Beverly made reservations for ahead of time. Afterwards they would go see either the opera or the theater, having a private box. At the end of the night after they arrived back to the castle, Will would sneak off to Beverly's room with expensive bottles of wine, them drinking and laughing their cares away. And eventually at 2am Hannibal would come collect Will and walk him back to their room, where he would undress them both before they curled up together in bed.

It was a year later when Beverly and Will were walking through the town when Will turned his head and his blue eyes met green. Matthew had just come out of a bakery, Will standing in front of him, both of them frozen in their places and staring at each other in surprise.

"Hello, Mister Graham." Matthew finally said, breaking the silence with a soft smile on his lips.

"Hello Matthew." Will says softly, his eyes sad. "Care to walk with us?" He asked, his voice bordering on hopeful.

Matthew hesitates but nods, walking over to them and holds out his arm, Will taking it gently. The three of them walk quietly for a few minutes before Beverly breaks the silence with a joke, Will's lips twitching to almost a smile and Matthew looking to her with his lopsided grin as he chuckled. The three of them start talking quietly-- about Abigail's progress, about the theater, about the opera, about books they had read.

About everything but the thickness of the air between them.

Its almost time for the opera that night when they stop walking. They had wandered and talked through their dinner reservation, but neither Beverly nor Will acknowledged it. Will looks at Matthew for a long moment, before Matthew smiled. "You look beautiful as ever, Will. Thank you for today." He leans in and kisses Will's cheek, then looks to Beverly, "Goodnight, Lady Beverly." Matthew adds, before turning and walking away into the crowded street.

Beverly looks to Will just as he quickly brushes a lone tear from his cheek, "Let's get to our seats."

It would be a whiskey night tonight, Beverly thought as she quietly followed him inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what you think. I appreciate all of you!


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